Not Over Yet
by Kariego
Summary: Max did the "right thing" and accepted Chloe's fate, saving Arcadia Bay from the tornado. After Chloe's funeral she went home to Seattle to deal with her devastating depression, wondering why she still has her time powers. There, she discovers where she went wrong, her true purpose, and goes back seven months to send her younger self on a journey to save both Chloe and Rachel.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Twenty eight. She's counted them a thousand times. The floral wallpaper pattern on her bedroom wall repeats itself twenty eight times as it rises from floor to ceiling. Max sits on the side of her bed staring at the far wall, a lone tear still desperately clinging to her chin even though she ran out of tears fifteen minutes ago. Her heart feels like an empty husk withering in upon itself, poisoned to death by her own failures. She cradles her lost beloved, her favorite picture of Chloe encircled by delicate fingers resting atop her faded jeans. Her eyes stay vigilant on the wall because she knows what will happen if she looks down at that picture again.

 _Max Caulfield. Don't you forget about me…_ Chloe's final words haunt her.

 _Never. How could I ever forget my biggest failure? I was given super powers and I still couldn't save you. All my efforts bring are death and destruction. I'm useless._

Chloe Price died on Monday, October 7th, shot to death by Nathan Prescott. Max Caulfield sat behind the final stall silently crying as her heart shattered, helpless to change the events without causing a massive tornado that would claim so many more lives. The funeral was on Saturday, and the flight that took Max back to Seattle was on Sunday. Nobody needed to be convinced that Max wasn't fit to learn in school after seeing her grey face and hollow eyes at the funeral, so for psychiatric reasons she was suspended and sent home to her parents. It's Tuesday now, and for the past three days she's scarcely left her room.

 _Why me?_ She silently asks the wallpaper, for lack of any other company. _Why was I given a gift and no instructions on how to use it? I just messed everything up. You should have given it to Kate or Chloe, someone more righteous or stronger than me. You should have chosen someone else who could have made things right._

Her eyes drop to the picture before her mind catches up with the action, and by then it's too late. Chloe's beautiful face softly smiles up at her, framed so perfectly by blue tresses and her signature beanie. Max feels her face scrunch up in agony and the tears flow anew, a phantom lance piercing through what's left of her heart. She carefully escorts the picture to lie face down on her bed with the left hand while her right rises to clutch at her pink t-shirt, bundling up the material in front of the pain in her chest.

"Chloe, I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry." She sobs, pushing off the bed and trudging through wet concrete with every grief burdened step she takes toward her desk. She plucks a fresh tissue from its cardboard home, the waste bin already full of crumpled, used ones. As she wipes her eyes and blows her nose she gazes down at a photo album of Seattle sites she had been building before leaving for Arcadia Bay.

 _I should have just stayed here in my simple life and continued building that simple album. Why did I have to be lured back there to study under that psycho Mark Jefferson? Why did I have to fall in love with Chloe over that week only to let her die in the end? Why did I have to feel like I had the power to save her when I really didn't? It's not fair. It's not FAIR!_

Her sorrow explodes into rage and she reaches for that album, raises it overhead and hurls it across the room into the far wall. "It's not fucking fair!" She shrieks in agony, gripping her desk chair and throwing it as well. Her bookshelf is next, items launched in all directions with equal parts might and carelessness to thump and clatter against everything else. Max collapses to her knees when she hears the pounding of footsteps rushing up the stairs, struggling to breathe as her lungs seize up from the pain.

Ryan, her father, comes running through the doorway of her bedroom with shock and concern in his expression. "Max!" His voice is just as distressed as his face. On Monday he found Max sitting in her chair holding an open pair of scissors. She didn't do anything, but she didn't have to. Ryan knew what she was thinking and put her on suicide watch. Her bedroom door is never to be closed, and one parent is always to be home and listening for any disturbance.

 _I'm sorry, dad. I won't worry you. And I also don't feel like cleaning up this mess._

Max raises her right hand and concentrates, her father halting and reversing back out of the room, and all the articles within the room flying back into their proper positions. One in particular catches Max's eye, something about it tugging at the back of her mind. When everything is settled and quiet again she releases time to flow forward, staring quizzically up at the black binder on her bookshelf. Ten seconds of pondering pass before she finally allows curiosity to will her to her feet so she can collect the binder and bring it to her bed.

She sniffles and wipes her eyes as she scoots back and rests the binder atop her thighs, lazily opening it to cast her stone gaze down at the cover sheet. Colorful letters spell out Junior Year Memories amidst a flurry of flowers, hearts, puppies and kitties all drawn in colored pencil. Life was so much happier back then. Hopeful to immerse into those happy memories and rest her tear ducts for a few minutes, she gives in and starts flipping through the pages. She doesn't know what she's looking for, why the binder caught her mind and made her look through it, but she finds a small smile creep onto her dead expression as she looks through her old notes and pictures. Then she flips the page and the feeling returns, like some force is reaching for her attention.

Her brows furrow with thought as she scans the page. It's nothing. It's just her writing about her Spring Break plans back in late March, with a selfie glued to the bottom right corner that she took on Thursday before the break to capture her excitement. She frowns at the picture, disappointed at her mind for misleading her, until suddenly a thought strikes her mind like a lightning bolt.

"Wait. This was… March 28th. Spring Break went from the 29th to April 7th." She mumbles, thinking aloud as she discovers what her subconscious has been trying to tell her. "That's before Rachel died."

The selfie shimmers and Max looks away, raising her right hand up to stare at it as if she'll find answers in all the little creases and lines of her palm. She's suddenly aware of how warm it is in her bedroom, twisting her hand around to see the little veins in the back of her hand bulging as her body tries to cool itself. Her ears pick up the songs of birds outside her bedroom window, and she can smell dinner stewing downstairs. It's like she suddenly came alive for the first time since… Chloe.

 _I was so focused on trying to save Chloe all week long that I never listened to her! Every day she reminded me how important it was to save Rachel. It was always about saving Rachel. That's why everything turned into a nightmare after we found her body. I was on the wrong path! I still have my powers because I'm not done yet. It's not over yet!_

Max lifts the binder and twists around to set it on her bed, then reaches for the downturned photo of Chloe to place it next to the March 28th selfie. She stares down with determination, eyes darting between the pictures as her shoulders rise back and she stands tall for the first time in days. She can feel the heat of conviction burning from her core.

"It's not too late. I'm going to save you, Chloe. And I'm going to save Rachel, too."

She stomps over to her desk and sits with pen and paper, thinking long and hard about what she'll need to do. Everything must be taken into consideration and she'll only be able to spend a couple minutes at most in the picture to write down instructions for her younger self to follow. So, she contemplates, writes a list of critical information to pass on, practices writing it into sentences, and times herself to be able to write the finished product in under two minutes.

Finally satisfied, Max stands and returns to her bed to gaze down at Chloe's soft smile. She takes a deep breath as she gives this plan one final consideration, letting out a nervous sigh as she remembers what happened when she went back five years.

 _That wasn't the right move. I can't save William, the butterfly effect of that paralyzes Chloe. I can't save Chloe in the bathroom, the butterfly effect of that sends a tornado to destroy Arcadia Bay. But I never tried to save Rachel. I have to keep trying until something works. I'll never give up as long as I still have these powers!_

Having convinced herself this is the best chance she has to defeat her overwhelming depression and reunite with Chloe, Max focuses hard on the March selfie until her world fades away to be replaced by the past.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"'Cause I don't wanna lose you now, I'm looking right at the other half of me!" Max happily sings along to Justin Timberlake - Mirrors, a new release that's all over the radio. Her feet kick around beneath the chair and her shoulders sway to the music as she's writing the finishing sentences in her binder of memories, expressing all her excitement for Spring Break that's only a day away. All her plans over the next ten days with her friends Kristen and Fernando have been laid out, and the aspiring photographer couldn't be more ready to enjoy the break from school and pursue her passion.

She places her purple pen back in her desk drawer and casts a giddy smile down at the page, having left a square space in the bottom right corner for a selfie, as she usually does. Her eyes scan around the page edges and she decides to fish a red fine tipped Sharpie from her drawer to color some hearts of various sizes in the open spaces, then caps the marker and places it on the desk as she stands to fetch her camera. Max dances and skips to the tune as she makes her way to her bed, leaping and flopping herself upon the sheets to let her hair naturally splay out.

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" She squeals with joy as she raises the camera high in her right hand, flashing a thumbs up with the left in front of her unzipped grey hoodie and yellow t-shirt. "Cheeeeeeese!" She offers her best smile as she twitches her finger to snap the picture.

Suddenly she's standing in front of her desk, more like falling since her legs were relaxed a moment ago while she was lying on the bed. Max lets out a shocked yelp as she scrambles to find purchase with her socks and reaches out to catch the desk with both hands, and what looks like a red Sharpie clatters from her right hand to bounce across the desk.

"What the fuck!? What just…" She stands upright as she pants for breath, her heart pounding as she looks around the room trying to figure out what just happened.

Her bed looks a little disheveled as if she launched off of it in a hurry, while the Polaroid camera she just used rests on the sheets with the picture still hanging out of the feed. Her binder of memories is closed and pushed off to the right, but there's a loose sheet of paper on the middle of her desk. It's covered in red Sharpie ink, written in her own handwriting that she has no recollection of creating.

 _Hey! Hey brain!_ Her ears demand attention. _The radio was playing Justin Timberlake - Mirrors a couple seconds ago, and now it's well into Bruno Mars – When I Was Your Man. Something WEIRD is going on here._

 _Yeah, fucking thanks, ears! I already KNOW something weird is going on here._

Max cautiously reaches down for the paper on her desk to hold tentatively before her yellow shirt, eyes scanning the words to see just what sort of trickery is being played here.

 _Younger Me,_

 _I'm you, from seven months in the future. Yes, I'm cereal. I'll prove it. This is in your handwriting and nobody else could have come in here and written this, and you never told anyone that Chloe was your first crush at 13. That's why you couldn't stay in touch after moving to Seattle, you thought you would never see her again and it hurt too much to think about her. Well, in October you're going to be hurt so much worse!_

 _Chloe is dating a girl named Rachel Amber. Rachel gets kidnapped on April 22 and is later murdered in captivity. Chloe is shot to death on October 7 right in front of you. You'll develop the power to rewind time then, but can't change that event without causing so much more damage. So, do exactly as I say and we can save Rachel and Chloe!_

 _First, glue that selfie you just took into the space you made for it. If you forget to do that then I won't have found it to jump back to you, and you'll break the universe or something._

 _Second, cancel your Spring Break plans, call Chloe and ask her to go on a road trip to Portland, or Seattle, or both, whatever works. If she doesn't ask to take Rachel, invite her to take someone she's dating. Rachel must be kept safe! Get permission from mom and dad to fly to Arcadia Bay after school tomorrow and sleep over at Chloe's house before the road trip._

 _While there, write an anonymous note for Chloe's stepfather David Madsen with the following on it: Mark Jefferson and his student Nathan Prescott are criminals that drug, kidnap and rape girls from Blackwell. They bring the girls to the Prescott Barn at Lat: 45.496698 Long: -123.894625. There is a secret room under the barn with all the evidence needed to arrest both of them. The combination to enter the room is 542._

 _Finally, show this letter to Chloe when the time is right. This will prove to her that it's real: Been to the hideout, saw the elephant on the yellow rug, hella cool. Welcome to 'Hell' poster? I liked that junkyard. Rachel 13, Chloe 4, you need to work on your darts skills. The Max you know has never been there and couldn't know these things. I love you, Chloe. I'll do anything to save you. Please be nice to younger me; she loves you, too._

 _My brain only retains the original timeline. Everything you do between reading this and 6:25pm on October 15_ _th_ _will be forgotten, replaced by my memories. Please write everything down, take pictures, and make videos, so life won't be as confusing afterward. You can do this. If you still don't believe me, check your left forearm._

Shocked and dismayed by the content of the letter Max throws it as hard as she can, but since it's just a thin sheet it flutters and tumbles off to the left of where she aimed, eventually coming to rest on the floor. She raises her left arm and stares at the grey hoodie sleeve hiding her forearm, her expression horrified and incriminating as if her arm is about to do something awful. Slowly she reaches for the cuff and grips it, then tugs all at once as if peeling a Band-Aid. "It's real. Save Rachel and Chloe!" The words are hastily written on her soft, pale flesh in that blaring red Sharpie marker.

"No! God, no!" Max protests as she rubs at her arm, but that ink isn't going anywhere. "This can't be possible! How is this possible?"

Max backpedals into the far wall near the doorway of her bedroom, gasping for breath and clutching her head with both hands. She wracks her brain to try and make sense of all this as her fingers tangle into her light brown hair, her eyes darting around in a panic at the carpeted floor.

 _This is so fucked up. I'm only seventeen! I can't go on some mission and save people's lives! I need help. I need to show this to my parents, or call the cops. Wait, no! They'll think I'm crazy, that I just wrote it myself. They won't listen and won't let me go to Chloe, and then I'll fail. Shit… I have to do this alone, don't I?_

Max walks across the room to read the note over again, frowning with worry at all the difficult things she's going to need to accomplish. She snorts at the second to last paragraph. "Hella cool? When do I start using the world hella? Who even says that anymore? So lame." With a heavy sigh she submits to the notion that her entire life has officially been turned upside down, and the only person she can blame is herself.

 _Stupid future self, dropping all her baggage on me… I feel like getting a tattoo on my face or something to get her back, but that feels like it would backfire. I know I crushed hard on Chloe after I developed those kinds of feelings at 13, but this letter is heavy. "I love you Chloe. I'll do anything to save you." What the hell happens in October? I guess Chloe will be the most important thing in the world to me one day, so I have to save her. And if she loves Rachel, then I'll save her, too… it's the right thing to do, even if I don't get to be with Chloe afterward._

Max scans back to the first order of business in the letter, that selfie. That's quite the simple tutorial to following future Max's instructions, and she feels far more accomplished than she should after gluing the selfie in the binder where it belongs. But, when a teenager is about to embark on a mission through time itself to save her true love she should hold onto any measure of success she finds.

Onto step two: Making new Spring Break plans. She reaches for her little contact journal and flips the pages to find the phone number for Joyce Price. Immediately wracked by nerves at the idea of talking to Chloe after all these years Max just stares at the phone number for a good ten minutes pondering all the ways this could go horribly wrong. Finally, she swallows hard and forces herself to be brave. She picks up her cell phone and plugs in the number, then taps the call button.

"Just take a deep breath." She attempts to prepare herself as she nervously picks at the edge of her wooden desk with her free hand. Each ring of the phone in the little speaker just adds more fuel to her nerves, the poor thing practically shivering in her desk chair. She's never made a phone call where lives were on the line before. Then, the ringing sound is interrupted by the clattering of someone answering the phone, and her heart skips a beat. Her eyes drift to the final paragraph of that letter. "You can do this."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"I can do this?" Joyce responds in an amused tone, her southern drawl just the same as it always was. "Why, thank you for the encouragement. Who might I ask is calling?"

"Oh, no, I… um." Max stammers as she flushes in embarrassment. "I was talking to myself, I just…" She takes a deep breath and just decides to start over. "Hi, Joyce. This is Max Caulfield."

Joyce gasps and is heard shifting about on the other end of the line. "Max! Oh, darling how are you? What's it been now, four years?"

"Heh, yeah, sorry about that." Max raises her free hand to brush the back of her neck as she thinks. "Being moved away from everything I knew at the age of thirteen was tough. But, being moved away from Chloe was the hardest part. I wanted to call so many times, but I just… couldn't."

"Oh, Max. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I know you and Chloe were practically attached at the head. You did everything together. I saw how it affected my little girl when your family moved away and I can only imagine how it affected you. Are you doing OK up there in Seattle?"

Max lets out a little sigh as she shifts uncomfortably in her chair. "I'm OK, yeah. Everything is going fine, it's just… I don't really know how to explain it." She looks around for inspiration on how to lie about what she needs to ask for, her eyes landing on a poster in her room about how to make your dreams come true. "I had this crazy dream that Chloe died before I had a chance to reconnect with her. It's such an awful thing to think about. So, I thought, maybe I could fly down there after school tomorrow and spend Spring Break with her, you know? Maybe even go on a road trip to Portland or something."

There's an abnormally long pause on the other end of the line, but Max can hear Joyce breathing so she knows the line didn't cut out. She nibbles her lip nervously and squeezes her thighs together as the suspense builds her anxiety, wondering if she went about this all wrong.

"Well, Max, that certainly is a big request, and quite out of the blue. I would be fine with you flying down here and visiting, but Chloe is eighteen now and she's a strong willed girl who does as she pleases. If yall wanna go on a road trip that's between you and her, but there's… well, I should let you talk it out. Chloe is up in her room right now. Would you like me to go tell her you're on the phone?"

Max can feel her heart thump and her throat catch as she barely rasps out her response. "Yes, please, that would be wonderful, Joyce."

Max has to stand up and walk around, her nerves commanding movement as she waits for the phone to be passed to Chloe. She rushes into her bathroom to flip the light switch on and sees her nerve wracked expression in the mirror. Her hands hurry to pluck up the glass she keeps in there, fill it with a little tap water and swallow it down just to try and lubricate her throat.

 _What if she's pissed at me? What if she says no and won't even talk to me? What if she already has important plans with Rachel and doesn't want me flying down there for Spring Break? Oh, God, I'm freaking out right now! Calm down, Max. If you act crazy she definitely won't want to see you!_

After a clattering of sounds from the phone on the other end brushing and banging into something an excitable young voice loudly speaks into the receiver. "Max, is it really you?"

"Chloe? Yes, it's me. I… finally found the booty in Seattle. I'm ready to spend it on rum and a bigger ship to sail the high seas with my First Mate!"

Chloe laughs hysterically for quite a few seconds before she can answer. "Holy shitballs, you're still the biggest dork ever. Still playing Pirate Captain Calico Max, huh?" Calico Max being their cute play on the early 18th century pirate Calico Jack. "You know, I actually still have that green pirate towel from when we were little."

"That's so cool, Chloe." Max smiles as she feels the warmth of nostalgia wash over her as she remembers their pirate adventures. "It's so good to hear your voice."

"Uh, really Max?" Chloe's tone suddenly shifts into agitation. "Because you haven't called in over four years. Seriously, where the fuck have you been? I thought we were best friends."

Max lets out a heavy sigh as she realizes how clumsy and stupid her last statement was. "Chloe, I'm so sorry. I want to explain myself, but I want to do it in person. Would it be OK with you if I flew down there after school tomorrow and maybe spent some time with you over Spring Break?"

Chloe lets an awkward silence fill the space as she takes in what was just said. "Really? That's sudden. You're being hella sketchy, Max. I need you to be straight with me right fucking now."

 _Hella? Oh my God, I got it from her. Chloe uses the word. Now it all makes sense. And it doesn't sound lame coming from her, it actually sounds really natural and cool. Ugh, stay focused, Max! Try the dream lie, but tell her something true first. She's pissed and you need to appeal to her heart to heart._

"OK, Chloe, I'll tell you the truth. When my parents moved me away from Arcadia Bay I thought I would never see you again. It hurt so fucking bad!" Her voice quakes under her emotions. "Every time I picked up the phone to try and call you it made me cry, so I just gave up. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough back then. But, last night I had a dream that you died before I had a chance to reconnect with you, and that hurt even more. I just… I really need to see you. Please, Chloe…" She shudders, her emotions real even if everything she said was not.

Chloe's tone is much softer this time, taken aback by the tender emotions laid upon her. "Jesus, Max… I didn't realize how much it affected you. When you never called I thought you just didn't give a shit. It never occurred to me that… I'm sorry, Max. I shouldn't have grilled you like that. Of course I wanna see you again! Tomorrow after school, you said?"

Max takes a shaky breath to try and steady herself. "That's what I'm hoping for, yes. I'm seventeen so I have to ask my parents for permission first. If everyone is OK with it I'd like to fly down tomorrow after school, sleep over at your place, and on Saturday morning begin a road trip to Portland. Or, maybe even go all the way to Seattle so you can meet my friends and see where I've been all this time. Um, do you have any close friends you want me to meet? The road trip doesn't have to be just the two of us."

Chloe gasps as the thought strikes her right away. "Oh my God, you're like a mind reader! Rachel would love to go on a road trip to Portland with us! You two would really like each other, too. But, I should warn you about some uh… girl-on-girl action ahead of time. Is it cool with you that I'm dating a girl, and if we mack out in front of you? I don't want to ruin the trip for you and make you feel all weird and shit being a third wheel."

Max sighs as a warm blanket of relief falls over her, all her plans falling into place. "Of course I'm OK with it, Chloe. I've been living in Seattle and people are super chill up here. I've seen girls make out in public before, that doesn't bother me at all. Besides, you're my best friend, even if unfortunate circumstances took me away from you for four years. I'll support whatever makes you happy."

"Alright, alright, don't get too mushy on me. You have a cell phone, right? Let's trade numbers real quick, then you go get permission from your parents and just text me updates. Don't send me any emojis though. I don't like them."

Max giggles and skips through her room back to her desk, writing down Chloe's cell number and sharing her own, then concluding the call so she can add the new contact. She immediately texts Chloe asking to be reminded what her exact home address is, but also to confirm she plugged in the number right. After receiving the address she smiles and tucks her phone into her pocket, then glances down at her mission list.

 _Get permission from mom and dad. That could be really hard. I've never traveled alone and my parents treat me like such a delicate flower. Of course, I apparently go back to Arcadia Bay in August to attend Blackwell for senior year, so I know they let me go eventually, but how hard was it for them? I didn't get enough details from my future self._

Max opens her binder to fetch a blank piece of paper and pulls a pen from her drawer to start writing down ideas. Her face scrunches up with thought and determination as she spends a good thirty minutes creating an epic presentation that will earn her a ticket to Oregon. When she's finally satisfied she folds up the paper and stuffs it in her back pocket just in case, then marches downstairs to find her parents.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"I still think eggshell white is the best choice." Ryan taps his right index finger on the sample strip.

"It just seems so bland." Vanessa responds. "I'd like the room to have a little more color and life than that. The sky blue would be so soothing."

The couple has been planning to remodel the living room for well over a month, and while progress is slow they have never fought about it. Disagreements are discussed and calmly handled until they arrive somewhere together. Their relaxed and easy going nature definitely shows in their teenage daughter, as everyone who meets them all seems to bring that up. But, as Max marches down the stairs and into the living room with a stoic expression and tall posture, that easy going nature seems absent.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to ask you for something, and it's very important to me." Max begins, adopting a wider than average stance and chopping her right hand into the left palm.

Both Ryan and Vanessa stare at her with wider than normal eyes, unused to the introverted teen being so assertive about anything other than photography.

"I would like to travel to Arcadia Bay after school tomorrow and spend Spring Break with Chloe. I know this is super out of the blue, but I can't express enough how important this is to me!" Max places both her hands over her chest and taps a few times to emphasize her point, then begins pacing left and right as she continues. "I was wrong to break contact with Chloe at thirteen. It was just too hard for me to deal with being moved away from my best friend back then. But, I finally worked up the courage to reconnect and it went really well. I talked to Joyce a little, and then to Chloe, and both of them would be happy to have me tomorrow. I can give you a whole bunch of reasons why this trip would be really good for me!"

Ryan breathes out a quiet chuckle and smiles through his scruffy beard, giving his wife a few different looks, which she returns. The beautiful dynamic of a couple being married for over twenty years shines through as they express entire sentences without saying a word, coming to a complete understanding before Max can even continue.

"Sounds great, kiddo." Ryan gives his permission.

"Reason number…" Max stops her pacing with a sudden jerk, then slowly twists on her heels to offer a shocked expression toward her father. "Wait, did you just say yes?"

Both her parents softly laugh before Ryan continues. "We've been hoping for this for a while, Max. You and Chloe may have lost touch, but Vanessa still talks to Joyce every now and then. We all know how much Chloe misses you, and it was just a matter of time before you felt old enough and independent enough to fly down there and see her again."

 _Are you cereal?_ Max's arms fully relax and swing down by her sides as she looks off to the right to send a yuck face at the cat statue on the bookshelf, as if it's responsible. _I spent half an hour coming up with reasons why they should let me go and I didn't even need one of them? What a waste of time!_

Max shoots her gaze back to her mother and father to give them a confused look, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "What do you mean you all know how much Chloe misses me?" She folds her arms in front of her chest as she waits for the answer.

Vanessa steps around the living room sofa to approach her daughter. "Oh, Max, don't feel betrayed. Nobody was keeping any secrets from you. It's hard moving at the age of thirteen. We knew you were hurting about Chloe to the point that even thinking of her made you sad, which is why we stopped mentioning her around you." She wraps her arms around Max to hug her and soothingly rub her back, disarming the agitated teen. "I'm glad you're finally OK with living in a different city than Chloe and that you want to visit with her. Of course you have our permission."

"Are you sure you want to fly on Friday evening?" Ryan asks with a bit of concern in his tone. "It might be pretty exhausting for you to pack all evening, go to school tomorrow, and then travel all evening. Saturday would be easier on you."

Max slips out of her mother's hug to look up at her father, responding with a bit too much intensity. "No! It has to be Friday." She goes wide eyed for a moment as she realizes she's acting a bit suspicious in her efforts to follow future Max's instructions. "I mean… I'd rather have the extra day to spend with Chloe. I don't mind being exhausted on Friday evening."

Ryan gives his daughter a perplexed look, then shrugs it off and smiles. "Alright, go upstairs and pack your things. I'll book you a flight down on Friday, and your flight back on the following Sunday. Presuming you want to spend the entire break down there?" He asks as he makes his way to the computer desk in the corner of the room.

"Yes, the entire break!" Max shouts over her shoulder as she bolts out of the living room, light brown hair whipping all about. "Thanks mom! Thanks dad!" She grins ear to ear as she takes the stairs two at a time, rushing up to her bedroom to begin packing for a ten day trip.

 _Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Everything is working out! I had no idea it would be that easy to get permission to fly alone. Well, maybe only for Chloe's sake. I still feel weird about that conversation. Now I wish they would have tried to convince me to get back in touch with Chloe sooner. Oh well, at least I'm doing better than future Max did._

After neatly tucking six sets of clothing in her suitcase, hoping she'll be able to do laundry mid-break, Max sits at her desk to text Chloe that she'll be flying down on Friday evening, but her time of arrival is not yet known. Then she sighs as she thumbs through her contacts to make the hard calls. She taps Kristen's name and holds her phone up to her ear.

"Hey Max!" Kristen sounds so happy and excited on the other end. "Just one day left!"

"Yeah! So excited about Spring Break!" Max takes a breath and slumps as she knows there's no easy way to do this. "Listen, something has come up. I have to fly down to my old home town after school tomorrow. I'll be away for all of Spring Break."

"Oh no… did someone die?" Kristen sounds aghast.

"No! No, no, nothing like that. Well… it's complicated." Max stares down at the note from her future self describing the deaths of Rachel and Chloe. "Someone down there needs me right now. So, I'll have to pass on our plans to photograph all the Seattle sites. I'm really sorry."

"Aw, that sucks. But, it's OK, Max. Whatever is going on sounds really important. Fernando and I will be fine, and we'll show you all the pictures we took when you get back."

Max smiles. "I'll take pictures over Spring Break and share them with you as well. Thanks for being so cool about it. Could you please call Fernando and tell him? I'm swamped packing and preparing right now."

"Sure, Max. And, if you need to talk to someone about whatever is going on, you know I'm here for you, right?" Kristen expresses her obvious concern, given that Max is never so secretive and dodgy about what's going on with her.

"You're an awesome friend, Kristen. But, don't worry about me, I'm fine. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Yeah, seeya tomorrow!"

Time seems to fly past in hyper speed over the next day, like all those little white lines zipping past in Star Trek to symbolize distant stars zooming through the field of view. Max has dinner with her parents who give her an orientation on how to travel safely a dozen times, and the teen goes over her suitcase contents just as many times to make sure she will have everything she needs. Sleep takes a while to find her, the nerves of her life-saving mission keeping Max awake for half the night, so she almost falls asleep in a few classes during school the next day. In fact, she hardly remembers much anything from the final day of school other than hugging Kristen and Fernando and wishing them luck on their photography adventure through Seattle.

Ryan is there to pick Max up after school and take her straight to the airport, and she takes a much needed nap on the plane. Then, with the help of an airport employee, she retrieves her suitcase and gets in a cab, reading the address Chloe texted her to the driver. A million thoughts go through her mind as she stares out the window on the way, and she doesn't realize she fell asleep again until the cab suddenly comes to a halt and the driver grunts to get her attention. Her head snaps up and she looks out at the night and street lights surrounding the cab, and then she sees it. It's the old, familiar home of Joyce and Chloe Price. Max pays the cab driver and gets out, hauling her suitcase to the front door and taking a few deep breaths to prepare herself before ringing the doorbell. The sound of footsteps on the other side of the door sends a fresh spike of nerves all up and down her core.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

The front door swings open so fast it sends a gust of wind all over Chloe's frame, her disheveled blue hair fluttering and dancing around her pale cheeks and forehead. Her thin brows are raised and pink lips curled into a bright smile. A black cord around her neck allows three small caliber bullets to dangle between her modest breasts, resting atop the white punk rock tank top she's wearing. The straps of her black bra are visible, as is the top of the bra itself since her tank top hangs too low. Unused suspenders drape along the outsides of her thighs, and her faded jeans are a bit shredded here and there with a few quilt patches repairing some of the damage on the right leg. And a full sleeve tattoo winds down her right arm from shoulder to wrist, ending at four elastic bracelets, three black and one white.

She's not the innocent pink sweater wearing strawberry blonde that Max remembers, and taking in the vision of the new punk-rock Chloe stuns her. She stares with her mouth agape as she feels like a sniper shot a tranquilizer dart into her chest, the warm numbing effect slowly washing over every inch of her body to leave her paralyzed.

 _Oh my God, she's so different. And I'm so… the same. Is this really going to work out? She looks way too cool to hang out with a photography nerd like me. If she were a random stranger in Seattle I would never be brave enough to approach her and ask to be friends. But, she's still Chloe inside, right?_

Chloe, on the other hand, has no reservations about the moment at all. "Max!" She pounces through the doorway and crashes into Max, hugging her so violently she almost knocks the poor girl over. "It's really you! You came back to me." She squeezes Max with the passion of four years lost.

"Hhhhk!" Max feels the air crushed out of her lungs as her hands wrap around Chloe's lower back, patting at her spine as if tapping out. "I'm dying." She barely croaks out.

Chloe laughs and steps back, leaving her hands on Max's shoulders. "Yeah right, dying of joy! I know you're stoked to see me. What do you think of my new digs?" She steps back and takes a wide stance, putting her hands on her hips and holding her chin up, proud of her punk style.

Max lets her eyes drift all over Chloe one more time, getting stuck on that sleeve tattoo. She steps forward and reaches out to collect Chloe's right wrist and hold her arm up, inspecting the ink. A tattered pink ribbon loosely swirls from wrist to shoulder around a thorny bramble with many little green leaves and some pretty pink flowers. Half a dozen blue butterflies hover around the plant while a yellowed skull acts as the center piece, tucked into the bramble halfway between Chloe's elbow and shoulder.

"You look so awesome now, Chloe." Max admits as she releases the arm to smile at her best childhood friend. "I hardly recognized you at first, but I like the changes. You look so unique now, and really photogenic. I hope you won't mind if I take a bunch of pictures of you during the week."

Chloe grins and strikes a silly pose with a hand behind her head and the other twisted behind her and palming her lower back. "Oh, you're gonna use the photography line on me? Trying to get in my pants already?" She snickers and steps forward to grip Max's suitcase, grunting and making a face as she realizes it's heavier than it looked. "Jesus, Max, were you serious about finding pirate booty in Seattle? It feels like you packed a few gold bars in here."

Max blushes deeply as she folds her hands in front of her lap, smiling down at the entry mat as she follows Chloe inside. "I wasn't flirting, jeez. I'm a big photography buff! And I'm on vacation. Besides, I know you're with Rachel, and I don't mess with other people's relationships."

Chloe kicks the door shut behind them and makes her way to the foot of the stairs on the right side of the entry hall. "Relax hippie, I was just fucking with you. And once you see Rachel you're gonna forget all about taking pictures of me. She's hella beautiful, and she's gonna be a model one day. Anyway, mom wanted to see you when you got here, so head into the kitchen while I lug your five hundred pound bag up a flight of stairs. I totally won't go through all your shit when you're not looking, either."

Max snorts and shakes her head with a smile as she rests a hand on the wall for balance while stepping on her heels to take her shoes off. "There aren't any gold bars in there, but feel free to check. Just don't touch the white and green boxes, that's my Polaroid film and it's delicate and expensive."

She watches Chloe drag the bag up the first few stairs, then walks straight ahead down the hallway. Max admires some of the family pictures on the walls on the way, her nostalgia building as she recognizes some of them, and remembers the layout of this home. The hallway opens up to the living room straight ahead and to the right, the furniture placing relatively the same. To the left she sees the little wooden dining table with four chairs around it, the two facing her being occupied by Joyce and a man she doesn't recognize.

"Welcome back, Max." Joyce says with a kind smile, looking remarkably the same as she did four years ago. "I hope your trip was alright. Did you have a proper dinner?"

Max laughs, remembering how concerned Joyce always was about feeding the kids enough. "It was an exhausting day, but I'm glad to finally be here. I had enough to eat. Besides, I want to save room for breakfast tomorrow morning." She gives Joyce a knowing smile.

"Oh, haha, you lookin' forward to a big stack of my pancakes? Is that why you wanted to sleep over here before your road trip? Well, I'm glad you missed my cookin'." She raises her left hand to gesture toward the man sitting to her left. "Max, this here is David Madsen, my second husband."

Max gives the man a polite smile as she steps around the table to offer her hand, which David accepts and shakes firmly. "Nice to meet you, sir."

He gives her a skeptical look over, but forces a smile to be polite. "Likewise. I hope you're not intending to bring any trouble into Chloe's life. She only has one quarter of high school left and she needs to stay focused to the end."

Max raises her brows and nods as she thinks back on her letter from future Max. "Yeah, I can assure you that I'm here with the best of intentions to have a positive impact on Chloe's life. And others around here as well."

Then her expression suddenly changes as she realizes that the letter, and the note she wrote on the plane to leave for David, are both tucked into a white envelope in the suitcase she just gave Chloe permission to go through. Panic rattles her from head to toe as she imagines everything falling apart if Chloe finds those messages right now.

"Riiiight." David responds, seeing the panic after the statement of good intention and imagining they are linked. "Just make sure nobody drives while drunk or high. If Chloe or Rachel dies out there I'm holding you personally responsible."

"Tck, David." Joyce sends him an incredulous look, then offers Max a comforting smile and tone. "You know how to stay safe, Max. I know you're a responsible girl from my conversations with your mother. Just keep doing what you've always done. Now, it's gettin' late so go on up there and get all the chatter out of your system so you can fall asleep and be ready for tomorrow. Drivin' drowsy is just as dangerous as drivin' drunk."

"Yes, ma'am!" Max eagerly takes the invitation to excuse herself and twists in place to rush down the hall and up the stairs. She sucks in a fresh breath of air as she thumps into the door to Chloe's room and bursts in.

Chloe is lying in her bed on the far wall of the room, or at least a mattress atop a spring board that sits just under knee height. She props herself up on her elbows, her cell phone in the right hand and her face stretched out with fearful surprise.

"What the fuck was that all about? Is everything cool?"

Max scans the clutter filled room, seeing posters and stickers all over the walls, too many waist high book shelves for a room this size all covered in belongings, a computer desk, sound system, TV, and when her eyes go left toward the closet she finds what she's looking for. Her suitcase is standing upright, closed, the contents unseen. She lets out a sigh of relief and pushes the door closed behind her to lean against it as she thinks of what to say.

"Ummm… your stepdad is pretty intense."

"Ugh, step-douche gave you shit already?" Chloe rolls her eyes with a frown, pushing to sit up on her bed. "Just don't talk to him. He's a paranoid asshole that thinks he's still a soldier."

 _I sure hope he's more than that._ Max thinks as she slowly steps forward. _I apparently need him to single-handedly solve the crime of the century in Arcadia Bay._

"In other news, this room is practically an episode of hoarders. You have a ton of stuff in here. Do you really need or use all of this stuff?" She asks as she tries not to trip over a stack of magazines on the floor.

"Wow, now you're starting to sound just like Rachel." Chloe complains, lifting her phone to look back at its screen. "Yeah, you two are gonna get along like two nuts in a sack."

Max scrunches up her little nose as she realizes she's just been likened to a testicle. "Did you just… that's gross, Chloe!" She makes her way over to her suitcase while Chloe seems distracted by her phone.

"Fine, whatever, two peas in a pod then. You're so vanilla, Max. We're gonna have to loosen you up this week. Maybe even get you a tattoo. Do you have any tattoos?"

Max pulls her suitcase down to unzip it in a way that the top flap will block Chloe's view of what's inside. "I'm seventeen, and my parents wouldn't give me permission to get a tattoo. I don't even have any piercings other than my ears." She pulls out her little bag of bathroom supplies and a change of what to wear to bed, then tucks the envelope between those to hide it from view.

"Like I said, so vanilla." She smiles down at her phone and reaches over to put it on the little table beside her low bed. "Alright, I texted Rachel that you're here and everything is cool. She's an eager beaver about meeting you tomorrow. We'll eat breakfast here, then swing by her place to pick her up, and then hit the road!" She grins up at Max, excited for the road trip.

Max smiles down as she holds her bag, clothes and hidden envelope behind her back. "Sounds great. I look forward to meeting her, too. Is the bathroom situation still the same here? I need to go brush my teeth and stuff."

"Yeah, down the hall to the right, same as before. Don't bother looking for my sex toys in there, though. I keep those hidden in here where nobody will ever find them." She offers Max a playful smirk.

"Oh my God, Chloe, stop! You're such a perv!" Max can't help but grin as she whines, starting to realize how wild and fun Chloe's new personality is.

She lets herself out of the room and heads down the hall to look around the bathroom, finding a good spot to place her bag of supplies, and a low drawer that seems to contain an emergency towel that's never used to hide her envelope in. While brushing her teeth she snoops a bit, finding Chloe's blue hair dye, a disturbing row of pill containers she hopes aren't for Chloe, and the pirate towel she remembers from so long ago.

 _That brings back some memories. Chloe was so cute back then. She's beautiful now, with her unique punk-rock style, but I kind of miss the old Chloe. The blue hair and tattoo are awesome, but I wonder how much of the girl I grew up with is still in there._ She catches her reflection in the mirror as she ponders. _I wonder if she finds me attractive. Ugh, stay focused, Max. You're here to save their lives, not enter some weird lesbian threesome._

After brushing, flossing and rinsing she slips out of the grey sweater and jeans she traveled in and puts on some cozy little cotton shorts over her panties. She stares down at that drawer she hid her envelope in as she folds up her sweater and pants.

 _OK, here's the plan. When everyone else is asleep, sneak out of Chloe's room and seal the warning note in the envelope, then place it on the front mat as if someone dropped it through the mail slot. That way either Joyce or David will find it tomorrow morning and think a stranger put it there. Write 'David Madsen' on the front of the envelope so it will go to him. Yes, this is going to work._

Max pads down the hallway and back into Chloe's room to find the blue haired girl sitting at her desk working on her laptop. She's wearing her own night garb, a little pair of grey shorts and a black t-shirt that says ROCK with a baby chicken underneath it to symbolize 'rock chick'. Chloe twists in her seat to admire Max in her little black shorts and white t-shirt with a cute doe graphic on its front.

"Well, you're looking cute. Don't try to pull any moves on me over the night, I'm a taken girl!" She jokes as she twists back to shut down her laptop.

"Hah, yeah, even if you weren't I probably wouldn't be bold enough to try anything like that. So, you have nothing to worry about there." She makes her way over to the left side of the bed and crawls into it, groaning as her body yearns for relaxation after the day of travel she put it through.

"Don't worry, Maxster, I'm the hammer that's going to break you out of your shell. By the end of this week you're going to be a total badass!"

Chloe hops out of her desk chair and switches the overhead lights off, leaving just a little lamp on in the back right corner. Then she slides into bed and fluffs her pillow before resting the back of her head on it, staring up at the ceiling.

"Chloe?" Max speaks softly, feeling so tired already as she shifts to lie on her left side so she can watch her best childhood friend look her way, waiting for more words. "Could you tell me a little about Rachel before I meet her? I don't want to jump in blind."

Chloe smirks and looks back up at the ceiling. "Max the Tactician, probing for info so she can make a great first impression. Well, where do I start? She's from Long Beach, California, came up here to attend Blackwell. That's where we met, both of us being seniors this year. She's really popular, nice to everyone but rebellious against societal norms and all that, a real flame burning bright for everyone to admire. She's gorgeous, fun, got a perfect 4.0 GPA, wants to become a model, and of course, she has really good taste in girlfriends. Amirite?"

Chloe blinks a few times when she realizes Max is asleep. "Wow you're really wiped out. You're lucky you look so cute all zonked out, or I'd be mad at you for falling asleep while I'm telling you about my angel. Good night, Maximus. It's awesome to have you back."

Ryan was right about the day exhausting Max. Her tired mind sleeps soundly all through the night. The warning note still rests in the towel drawer when the following morning comes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Birds singing outside the bedroom window that lets the morning light shine in all over the bed wakes Chloe up, the teen very used to nature's alarm clock. She stretches with a cute little groan as she blinks the sleep out of her eyes, twisting to see Max snoozing a couple feet away. Max is facing away and cuddling around her pillow with both arms, lying on her right hip mostly with her left knee bent and out in front of her. The position pulls her little shorts very taut against her left cheek and Chloe smirks at the idea in her mind. She can't stop herself as she leans forward and spanks that cheek nice and firmly to wake Max up.

"Ngha!" Max wakes with a start, scrambling in place. "Sexual harassment!" She comes up to her elbows and presses both hips flat to the bed, arching her back as she holds her head up to remember where she is and who she's with.

Chloe laughs at the reaction. "You're too cute, Max. Sexual harassment, really?"

 _Wait._ Max looks over at Chloe, then beyond her at the light coming from outside. _Oh no!_

Max twists around to sit upright as she stares out the window with a horrified expression, sucking in a few rapid breaths as she realizes she missed her opportunity to plant the warning note totally unseen. "Fuck!"

Chloe sits up as well and adopts a very concerned expression. "Max, it was just a joke. I was waking your ass up. Get it? Waking your ASS up?" She juts her face forward and raises her brows as she stares at Max, wondering what the big deal is.

 _Oh, God! How could I have fucked this up? If I don't get that note to David then the criminals won't be caught. Then Rachel is going to be dead in a month anyway and this trip will be worthless! Everything hinges on this note!_

Her eyes shift to Chloe and she forces herself to steady a bit. "I… sorry, no. It's not that. I just realized I forgot something, that's all. You're fine." She waves Chloe off as she twists to roll out of bed and rushes over to her suitcase.

As Max rifles through her things Chloe scoots to sit at the foot of the bed, still staring at her friend with concern. "So… was the thing you forgot called crystal meth? Because it's starting to seem like that's what you're on. Are you a tweaker, or are you freaking out right now?"

Max sends Chloe an apologetic look as she picks out her outfit for the day. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I'm still Mellow Max. This isn't normal behavior for me. I just… really wanted everything about this trip to go perfectly. I just need a minute. I hope you don't mind if I take the first shower."

"Sure, whatever calms you down." Chloe waves dismissively toward the door. "Just chill, Max. We're going to Portland, not Mordor. There's no army of orcs trying to kill us."

Max can't help but smile at the Lord of the Rings reference as she carries her bundle of clothing to the door. "There's a piece of the old Chloe I grew up with. You're not all badass punk-rock girl."

As Max passes through the bedroom door she hears Chloe call out behind her. "Don't tell anyone I used that reference! I have a reputation!"

Max rolls her eyes as she pads down the hall, her mind immediately slamming back into the elephant in the room. _Great! I can hear Joyce and David talking downstairs. Everyone is up! Now what am I going to do?_

She makes her way into the bathroom and stoops to check that the envelope is still tucked in the towel, and it seems undisturbed, so at least nobody accidentally found it. Max stands and stares at herself in the mirror, her expression one of panic that slowly morphs to agitation as she glares daggers at her reflection and thinks a dozen accusations over her failure. But, she's able to snap herself out of the self-loathing staring contest with the mirror and slips out of everything to hop into the shower.

It's warm and humid, and the smell of flowery soap and fruity shampoo lingers in the air, probably from Joyce showering earlier. While Max sets the water temperature and hastily cleans herself she tries to calm down and come up with a new plan, thinking up half a dozen fool-hardy plans before having her little eureka moment.

 _Oh, I've got it! I'll just slip it in the mailbox. As long as I'm not seen, they won't know who put it there._

Max steps out of the shower to dry off and put on her outfit of the day. She's wearing crisp white jeans with a little purple belt that's just for looks, a pink t-shirt that says JANE in white letters followed by a picture of a doe, her 'Jane Doe' shirt, with an unzipped grey hoodie over top of that. After brushing her hair she collects the envelope she hid to tuck it into her pants along her spine, hiding it beneath her shirt. She bundles up what she slept in, collects her bag of bathroom supplies and steps out of the bathroom to hurry back over to Chloe's room, and is shocked to find the girl packing her suitcase.

"You're packing for our road trip now?" Max puts her right hand on her hip and cocks it to the side. "Procrastinate much?"

"Uh, have you seen my room? I'm not all big on organization and planning. It's just clothes and toiletries, anyway. Not like it takes a rocket scientist to figure out what to take on a road trip. Besides, I already hid my weed stash and sex toys in my truck, so the true essentials are already taken care of."

"Oh, jeez." Max rolls her eyes and lets out an exaggerated sigh as she moves to her own suitcase. "You are going to be such a handful this week, aren't you?"

"Yes I am, and you're gonna loosen up and enjoy it!" Chloe smiles as she stands up and heads to her bed, collecting the outfit she laid out for the day. "Order me eggs and bakey when you head down, please."

As Chloe walks out of the room Max smiles to herself, a wave of euphoric nostalgia warming her body. "Wakey wakey eggs and bakey." She softly mumbles as she remembers all those pleasant sleepovers at Chloe's, and the breakfasts they shared with Joyce and William the following day. She sighs as she has to shake off the wonderful feeling and get back to the mission at hand.

Max tugs the envelope from her back and removes the letter from her future self to put in her suitcase, then licks the envelope to seal the warning note inside. She finds a pen in the disaster zone that is Chloe's room to write David Madsen on the envelope, then tucks it against her back once again. After zipping up her suitcase she hauls it out of the room and down the stairs, leaving it by her shoes at the front door so she can walk the house to investigate where people are. Joyce is sitting at the dining table reading the newspaper and David is sitting on the living room sofa watching TV. When Max walks in Joyce looks up and smiles at her.

"Well, good mornin' sunshine. Ready for those pancakes?" She pushes her seat back to stand, the question rhetorical.

"I am, yes! Chloe is showering now, but when she gets out, she said she wanted eggs and bakey." Max smiles and folds her hands in her lap as she watches Joyce move over to the kitchen to begin work.

 _Alright, that'll keep Joyce busy for a few minutes. Chloe is in the shower. David is watching TV. Now's my chance… but why would I go outside right now? Come on, Max, do or die here. Think of a reason to go outside!_

As Joyce starts preparing the pancakes Max comes up with an idea. "Hey, would it be alright if I stepped outside for a few minutes? I want to see what's changed in the neighborhood over the last four years, and it was too dark when my cab pulled up last night."

Joyce nods. "You go right ahead, young lady, but don't dilly dally. These pancakes will be done in a few minutes."

"Yes ma'am." Max offers a bright smile as she turns to rush over to the doorway, shoving her shoes on as fast as she can.

Joyce can't help but smile and comment loudly over her shoulder to David. "It's so nice having such a polite girl around callin' us ma'am and sir. Maybe her manners will rub off on those two hell-raisers over the week."

"Yeah right." David grunts back. "More likely they'll gang up on her and turn her into a punk like them."

Max snickers and shakes her head, unable to help but wonder which of them might be more right. She glances over her shoulder as she lets herself out to see David still staring at the TV.

 _Ok, we're clear! Do this, Max!_

She bolts down the driveway and to the mailbox at the street, reaches behind herself and tugs the envelope out of her jeans so she can open the box and stuff it inside. She notices the mailbox is empty and wonders when the mail comes around here these days.

 _Maybe they already came out here and got the mail this morning. Will it matter if David doesn't get the message until tomorrow? Ugh, I don't know, how could I possibly know? I don't have time powers yet. Or do I…?_

Max locks her gaze on the mailbox and adopts a stance as if she's a gunslinger from the old west. Then she thrusts her right hand forward all of a sudden. "Reverse!" Nothing. She tries again. "Halt!" Still nothing. She tries once more. "Time powers activate!" She stares at the mailbox for a second and sighs as she relaxes.

 _This is more embarrassing than Tobey Maguire trying to figure out how to web in Spider-Man. I don't have super powers, but I will in the future. Oh! Future Max told me to take pictures. I should take one now in case she has to come back and move the warning note now._

Max surges back up the driveway to enter the home and lay her suitcase down, opening it to pull out her photography satchel and secure the strap over her left shoulder. Then she sees David giving her a suspicious look.

"Sorry, sir, just getting my camera. I want to take a picture of something, that's all." She offers a sheepish smile and twists to run back outside again.

Panting a bit from all the running around, Max does her best to steady herself next to the mailbox, taking a selfie with it in the background. Her Polaroid whirs as it spits out the image, which she shakes out a little, then tucks into her satchel. She finally takes a look around to actually see what's changed over the last four years. Some homes are very much the same, while others are wildly different. Her old home, two doors down, is one that's wildly different.

 _Wow, guess the people mom and dad sold it to wanted to make a lot of changes. Oh well, I hope they're as happy living there as I was. I wonder what life would have been like if I still lived there. Maybe Chloe would be dating me instead of Rachel…_

Max loses herself in the ambiance for a minute as she just listens to the birds singing and the leaves rustling in the breeze, feeling the morning sunlight warming the right side of her face and watching some bees zoom around the flower bed. She takes a deep breath to smell those lovely flowers in the air, then walks up the driveway, the flowery scent replaced by scrumptious buttery pancakes the moment she passes through the doorway.

"Smells delicious!" Max calls out as she stoops to zip up her suitcase, then places her satchel atop it for now. She makes her way to the dining room to have a seat and waits to be served.

Joyce brings over a plate of pancakes three high with squares of butter melting atop and between them, and plenty of maple syrup spilled all over them. "Here you go. Don't eat them too fast now."

Max can't help but salivate as she sees and smells the breakfast below her, immediately cutting into the pancakes. "Oh, thank you so much, Joyce. This is like having dessert for breakfast!"

Joyce chuckles and heads back to the kitchen to finish the eggs and bacon, puts them on a plate and sets it down at the placing in front of Max for when Chloe comes down. Then, she heads over to the living room area to look through some shelves and pulls out a binder. She takes the binder over to the dining table, sitting to the left of Max and opening it up.

"Seeing you again… ahh, made me remember so much." Joyce flips through a few pages, looking at all the photos in the album. "I know these photos don't measure up to your work, Max…"

Max offers a kind smile and response. "My favorite photographers probably take pictures similar to yours." She watches the photos go by as she works on her pancakes, noticing how many recent photos have both Chloe and Rachel in them. "Look at those awesome outfits. Rachel always looks so cool."

"You have your own cool style." Joyce takes her turn offering a kind response. "Besides, it's what's on the inside that matters most."

Then the page flips and there's a photo of Max and Chloe together, the last year Max lived in Arcadia Bay. "Wowser, I totally remember that day." Max stares at the picture, especially at the little strawberry blonde Chloe.

"I'm glad… William took this picture with his instant camera." Joyce begins, then lets out an audible sigh. "It was the last picture he ever took. He had his car out right after this and… and…" Joyce locks up at the memory of losing her husband.

"I know Joyce." Max shares her sorrow. "I'm sorry."

Joyce snaps herself out of it as she plucks the photo from the album. "I didn't show you this to be morbid. In fact, I want you to have this." She extends her arm to offer the photo to Max, who puts her knife down to accept it and stare down at the image. "This is when my baby was so full of life and light. She was hopeful, positive… everything she's not today. And this was the last time I ever saw Chloe truly happy."

Max can't help but feel the claws of guilt digging into her heart. "After William died, and I moved away, she was never truly happy again? Doesn't Rachel make her happy?"

"In a way." Joyce flips through a few more pages of the album. "Rachel is a bundle of fun. She's a wonderful distraction. But when Chloe was fourteen she lost too much at once. Whenever she needed an adult to solve a problem she went to her father. When she needed a friend, she went to you. I don't reckon Rachel ever filled the void from you leavin' all those years ago, she just helps distract Chloe into not feelin' it."

"Oh…" Max tries to wrap her head around the idea, but it just makes those claws sink in deeper. Her heart aches as she watches Joyce rise and go put the album back, trying to distract herself by finishing up her pancakes.

 _Is that true? Rachel is just a distraction? I'm sure nobody knows Chloe better than her own mother, but I don't know if I should believe that. And now I feel like such a horrible person for never calling or texting. It really hurts to hear about leaving a permanent void in Chloe like that._

Chloe comes thumping down the stairs and spots the eggs and bacon waiting for her, walking straight to the dining table to sit down and enjoy them. She's wearing black boots that go halfway up her calves and flare out at the top, another pair of shredded jeans but with only one quilt repair this time, the same unused suspenders flopping around her thighs, and a black t-shirt with a different punk-rock band logo on it. A dark blue skater beanie keeps her wild blue hair from getting in her eyes, which find the sad expression on Max's face.

"Uhhh, I'm starting to feel like you're bipolar or some shit. You have hella big mood swings, Max. You need some meds? Hey, junkie!" She calls over her shoulder, knowing just how to push her stepfather's buttons. "Max needs some of your PTSD pills."

"God damn it, Chloe! That is NOT something you joke around about!" David twists in the sofa to glare at the back of Chloe's head as she casually munches on her breakfast.

"No, guys, please don't fight over me." Max waves her hands and tries to mediate. "Joyce and I were just talking about William, that's all. I'll be fine." She stands up and tucks the childhood photo into her hoodie pocket, then takes her plate to the kitchen sink.

"Thanks mom!" Chloe says sardonically. "Perfect topic to start the day on. Way to get in Max's head and fuck with her emotions before the road trip."

Joyce sighs and slumps her shoulders as she shakes her head. "I swear, Chloe, all you see is red. Just eat your breakfast and try to get through a day without pickin' a fight." She waves David off to end the argument before he says anything else.

Max collects her toothbrush and toothpaste from her suitcase and heads upstairs to brush away the remnants of breakfast, then makes her way back down and lingers by the front door, fidgeting with her photography satchel and trying to avoid sparking another family fire. Once Chloe is ready to go the two of them haul their suitcases into the driveway and load them into the back of Chloe's old brown pickup truck, using a tarp and bungee cords to cover them in case it rains.

"Sorry about all the drama in there, Max." Chloe offers a look of concern with her apology. "I haven't had a lot of good memories in that house lately. It brings out the worst in me. I hope you don't think I'm a total asshole."

Max sends a pretty muted expression over the bed of that pickup truck. "You shouldn't be mean to your mother. She lost William, too." She turns right and steps up to the door to let herself in on the passenger side.

Chloe follows suit, hopping into the driver's seat. "Yeah, well, she didn't have to go and marry the biggest douche in town afterward. I'm not upset with her about my dad. I'm pissed about step-dick. But, hey, I got him back with that junkie jab. That was epic payback for him giving you shit last night. I might act like a queen bitch sometimes, but I'll always have your back, Max." She starts up the engine and looks over her shoulder as she pulls out.

Max can't help but smile a little. "Well, at least your heart is in the right place. I'll watch your back, too. God knows I'm going to need to on this trip. Chloe Price with no parental supervision for ten days?" She pulls out her cell phone and starts searching the net on it.

Chloe glances over a few times as she drives along the residential roads. "What are you doing?"

"I'm plugging in speed-dials for the fire department, poison control, the FBI…"

"Oh, fuck off!" Chloe whines as she grins, realizing it's all a joke. "Now who's being an asshole?" She laughs and shakes her head. "Nice one, Max. Way to bring the mood back up."

"That's what I do." Max offers a bright smile as she tucks her phone back into her pocket. "Alright, please tell me a few things about Rachel before we get there. I promise I won't fall asleep on you this time."

"Hah, you better not!"

Chloe gives Max a recap of what she told her the other night as the two drive down a few more streets, soon pulling up to Blackwell Academy where Rachel lives in her dorm. Chloe pulls out her phone to text that they're in the parking lot and ready to go while Max steps out of the truck to take a few pictures of the campus, of Chloe sitting in her truck, and then a selfie in front of the welcome sign of the school. As she's facing the parking lot admiring her selfie Max hears footsteps coming along the walkway behind her.

"You must be Max." The tone is amused by Max's selfie-taking while the voice is sweet and rich, definitely belonging to a young lady. It must be Rachel.

 **Author's Note:** Yes, I sort of plagiarized from the game a little. I just felt like 4.5 or 5 years wouldn't make a difference, and Joyce would bring out the photo album upon seeing Max either way. I gave the scene a different spin to keep to the theme of my story, so hope you enjoyed it. And in the next chapter the actual road trip you've all been waiting for finally begins! It's so exciting!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Max smiles as she starts to turn around. "And you must be…" Her smile immediately flattens and her eyes go wide when she sees the man standing next to the beautiful young lady that spoke to her. "Mark Jefferson!"

He chuckles and reaches up to brush his beard with a finger and thumb. "I see you're a fan. Max, was it? If you're serious about photography you should be applying to study under me, here at Blackwell Academy."

 _Oh, fuck! I'm standing in front of a psychopath! Don't freeze up, Max. Don't make him suspicious. Do something… say something… shit!_

Even with her efforts to be brave Max is frozen for a long few seconds, her eyes darting between the two standing before her. Rachel on the left carrying a large purse, and Mark on the right carrying what must be Rachel's suitcase for the road trip. She can't help but take those few moments to inspect Chloe's girlfriend.

Rachel's straight hair drapes down to her breasts and shines like silk in the morning sun. It seems to have three tones, mostly a light brunette with chocolate brown and dirty blonde streaks for contrast, a truly beautiful but likely high maintenance look. Half her face seems hidden behind a massive pair of fancy sunglasses, the type celeb girls wear, but the features that are visible are naturally well shaped and painted properly by a girl who knows her makeup. One blue feathered earring is dangling a good four inches long from her left ear, though her hairstyle hides whether or not there's one in the right ear. A red and black plaid long sleeve shirt lazily drapes over her petite form, the front open to show the white t-shirt beneath and some of its punk-rock logo. Black jeans hug her hips and legs perfectly, while each leg has precisely eight slits in the fabric from thigh to shin, leading down to her black high-top Converse with white laces.

 _It's like someone made a cyborg specifically to be the perfect girl for Chloe and sent her here to crush any hopes I might have had of ever being with her. I can't compete with that._

"Ah, heh, feeling a little star struck there?" Mark Jefferson steps forward and waves his hand in front of Max to try and break the awkward silence she seems to have fallen into. "There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm a cool teacher, right, Rachel?"

"Oh, you're the bomb, M.J.!" Rachel affirms, making a dramatic hand gesture as if dropping a bomb, which makes a few thin silver bangles on her right wrist jingle audibly.

Max shakes herself back to attention and forces a smile. "Oh, yeah, haha. I was just star struck. I'm very familiar with what you're all about, Mr. Jefferson. I… really hope you get everything you deserve."

"Thank you, Max. Perhaps one day you'll be a famous photographer as well. I know Rachel here certainly has a lot of potential." He seems oblivious to Max's coded message, too busy buttering Rachel up.

The girl smiles wide and seems to wiggle slowly from head to toe, clearly quite taken by this dangerous man. "Aww. Well, if I become famous it's only because I had such a great teacher."

 _Oh my God, I'm going to throw up! I have to stop this._

Max coughs and holds her camera up, an idea striking her to break this up. "Hey, Rachel? Would it be OK if I asked you to take a picture of me with Mark Jefferson?"

Rachel shrugs as she steps forward to collect the Polaroid camera, giving it a look over before twisting around to watch Max go stand next to the teacher. "Damn, you really rock the retro thing, Max. Can't remember the last time I even saw a Polaroid, let alone used one."

Max shudders as Mark Jefferson puts his hand around her shoulder to stand close to her, but forces out a response. "Yeah, that's me, I like the retro stuff. Please hurry, Chloe is waiting."

"Now now, Max." Mark chastises. "We don't want to rush the creative process. Photography is about finding that one vulnerable moment and capturing it forever. I could frame anyone in a dark corner and capture them in a moment of desperation, and it would be beautiful. It would sell. Take your time, Rachel. Make it count."

 _What the literal fuck!? Dark corner? Get this psycho off of me! Don't take your time, Rachel!_

Max waits an agonizing fifteen seconds that feel like minutes as Rachel gazes through the viewfinder and takes steps side to side and forward and back, then finally clicks the photo. As soon as it's taken Max twists to grab Rachel's suitcase from Mark Jefferson. "I can take it from here, thanks for the help and the picture! Have a nice Spring Break!"

 _That was harder than I thought. But at least I have a picture of this moment now, so worst case scenario future Max can at least come back here and beat that psycho to death with my camera._

Mark's arm swings loosely back to his side after relinquishing the suitcase, watching Max with a peculiar eye. "Ah… right. Enjoy your break, kids. Don't forget to take pictures." He folds his arms as he watches Max hurry away with the heavy suitcase, clearly finding her behavior suspicious.

Rachel twists her head left and right as she watches Max run off with her belongings, and Mark Jefferson standing there bewildered. "Um, OK! Guess she's really pumped for the road trip. Seeya M.J." She offers a cute wave and smile then twists to walk down the stairs into the parking lot, following Max in her own good time.

Chloe spots Max awkwardly hurrying with the suitcase and Rachel doing her sexy runway walk down the parking lot, so she hops out of her truck and moves to the back to undo a bungee cord for when the suitcase gets to her. "Thanks for helping Rach with her bag, Max."

"Yeah, no problemo!" Max pants the words out after rushing across the parking lot, then groans as she lifts the suitcase with both hands to slide it under the tarp.

"Hey, you forgot your camera." Rachel calls out as she waves the camera in one hand and the photo it spit out in the other.

Max twists around and walks forward to meet Rachel a few feet from the truck to collect and escort each item into her photography satchel. "Yeah, thanks. Sorry about that, I'm not normally such a spaz."

"Yeah, you kind of freaked out a little, girl." Rachel smiles, seeming amused more than anything. Then her arms part as she sees Chloe coming. "Hey, Blue."

"There's my angel." Chloe coos the words like honey as she falls into Rachel's arms and gives her a kiss much longer than Max was hoping to see.

"Ahem." Max audibly clears her throat to get them to stop and look her way. "Sorry, I got distracted by Mark Jefferson back there, so we didn't actually meet properly. I'm Maxine Caulfield, but just Max, please." She holds out her right hand toward Rachel and smiles.

Rachel laughs as she reaches out to offer a delicate, girly handshake. "Rachel Amber. It's a pleasure. Chloe has told me a lot about you, and I look forward to filling in the blanks about you this week."

Max smiles and nods as she releases Rachel's hand, noticing that it feels way softer than her own, which only makes her feel inferior to the girl in yet another way. She takes solace in the only fact she can, in that both her and Rachel are 5'5, so at least the super model to be will never have a height advantage on her. She heads to the passenger side of the truck and opens the door to scoot in. The pickup truck just has one bench cushion as a seat, so Max slides to the middle and soon finds herself between Chloe and Rachel. She pulls her photography satchel to rest on her lap and looks around for a seatbelt, but of course there isn't one for the middle person. Her eyes land on a black umbrella though, the loop at the top of it connected to a matte black oval carabiner stuck through one of the loops of Rachel's jeans.

"Um, you seem pretty dedicated about having an umbrella on hand." Max points down at the umbrella as she probes Rachel a little.

Rachel looks down and nods as she pats the thing. "Yeah, California girls don't like getting rained on, we're not used to it. I don't know how people around here can just walk around getting wet all the time."

Chloe snickers as she turns the engine on. "You don't complain when I get you wet all the time."

"Oh my God." Max and Rachel almost whine in perfect unison, then look at each other and laugh. "Jinx." Max adds and nudges Rachel with her arm.

Rachel leans forward to look around Max as the truck pulls out of the parking lot. "Hey, do we need to cruise over to Frankie B's? Or are we stocked up?"

"Got enough grass under your ass to last us two weeks. Have a look." Chloe lazily waves her hand down toward the floor. "And wave goodbye to this hicktown!" She shoves down the gas to speed away from Blackwell Academy.

Rachel leans down and reaches under the seat to feel around, then smiles as she feels something and sits back upright. "Sweet. Yeah, I can't wait to get out of this boring ass town. Let's get poppin'!" She reaches across Max to push a couple buttons on the disc player in the dash, turning the punk-rock music on and cranking it up.

 _Well, I guess that kills the conversation for a while. I don't want to lose my voice trying to ask them stuff when they're rocking out like this. Oh well, there will be plenty of time for that later. I hope David finds that note and makes the right moves. And I hope I didn't tip Jefferson off by acting so weird around him._

Max just leans back in her seat as she tries to enjoy the punk-rock music, even though she's generally into much more mellow music. Arcadia Bay disappears into the rearview mirror, and soon they're on the road that takes them out of town and to the highway. The forests and hills are nice scenery that help Max daydream about everything that's going on in her life, and she slowly grows accustomed to the punk-rock music, allowing it to grow on her since it's what Chloe likes so much.

When the hour long disc of music comes to an end they're just about to pull up to Eugene, so they decide to stop in town to walk around, take some pictures and visit a few shops. A music shop is first on Chloe's list, of course, and they pick up a few more music discs for her old truck to play during their travels. Next they visit a camera store where Rachel and Max are able to bond a bit in their shared interest for photography, nerding it up as Chloe put it. Finally they find a highly rated coffee shop to over-caffeinate, Rachel spending nearly a minute describing the most specific concoction the poor Eugene barista has ever been forced to create.

"So, you call Chloe Blue?" Max asks Rachel while they sit in the coffee shop, Max on one side of the table while Chloe and Rachel sit beside each other.

"Sometimes, yeah. It's a compliment that fits, ever since she dyed her hair to look so sexy and fresh!" She smiles at Chloe, who takes off her beanie to fluff her hair dramatically and playfully show off.

"Yeah, it looks awesome. I've been meaning to ask how long you've been doing that, Chloe." Max bops the girl in the shoulder as Chloe continues to pose and make faces while running her fingers through her hair.

"Ow, alright. I started it a few months ago. It's a 2013 thing. It'll be hella funny at graduation because my yearbook pictures will show me blonde."

"Oh, at the beginning of senior year when they took the pictures?" Max sips her coffee and looks between Rachel and Chloe. "Is that when you two met, at Blackwell Academy?"

Chloe shakes her head. "No, we met at the regular one. Blackwell Public High School, back when we were freshmen."

"Yeah, when we were fifteen." Rachel chimes in. "My parents decided to move to Arcadia Bay from Long Beach for some real estate investment crap and made me go to high school in a backwashed fishing town. Took em three years to figure out the plan's a bust, but I was already accepted to the senior's academy, so I just live up here alone in my dorm now. Parents bailed on me and went back to Cali."

"Hey, you're never alone Rach. Everyone fucking loves you." Chloe cuddles up to her girlfriend and peppers her cheek with kisses, which dislodges the giant sunglasses and makes Rachel reach up to save them from crashing on the table.

"Dude, careful, you're gonna break my stunnas!" She places the glasses down on the table safely as she lets Chloe kiss her, and finally lets Max see her full face.

 _Damnit, she's more perfect than I imagined. Gorgeous hazel eyes and red splashes of eye-shadow to really make them pop. Just the right amount of eyeliner and mascara, it's like she's a professional makeup artist. And Chloe is swooning all over her right in front of me. Ugh, the jealousy is ruining my coffee. Just keep it together, Max. You did all you needed to do, now you just have to keep them busy for ten days while Arcadia Bay sorts itself out._

As Chloe's physical affection for Rachel escalates to cuddling, kissing and whispering sweet nothings into her ear, Max slumps back in her seat to sip her coffee, trying not to watch. The coffee is nearly gone by the time Chloe stops doting all over Rachel and remembers she has another party at the table.

"So, Max! Rachel and I plan to move to L.A. together after we graduate this year." She leans forward to put her elbows and hands on the table. "You should totally come down and join us after you graduate next year! We're gonna fucking rule that city!"

Max forces a smile as she tries to choke down how left out she's feeling. "Yeah, L.A. sounds wonderful. I hope all your plans work out. Excuse me, I need to use the restroom before we get back on the road."

Chloe's face shifts to concern at the sudden dismissal, looking to Rachel after Max is gone.

"I don't think she's comfortable watching you mack all over me like that, babe." Rachel offers as she finishes up her own coffee.

"What? No, we talked about that. She said she's cool with us dating." Chloe argues as she slips out of the booth to discard her cup in the trash.

"Dude, she's obviously butthurt. Maybe she's down with us dating, but not with watching us get all affectionate right in front of her." Rachel stands to discard her garbage as well.

Chloe nods as she understands what she did to upset Max, but the two of them wait for Max to exit the girl's room before they go in together to avoid further stoking any flames.

Once back in Chloe's truck they put in the new discs from the store and let the music distract them away from the slightly awkward ending to the coffee stop, smiles returning as they rock out on their caffeine highs.

The drive up I-5 is easy on Saturday, Chloe making good time getting them to Salem just after noon. The three have a very short discussion about where to go for lunch, as Rachel rather adamantly demands they go to Chipotle Mexican Grill. Max isn't shy to playfully pick on Rachel for being so Southern Californian and demanding Mexican food, and Chloe joins right in, leaping at the opportunity to try and help Max feel more included and like less of a third wheel. The girls walk through Lancaster Mall and find some good spots to take fun pictures of each other, then get back to the road.

Arriving in Portland mid-afternoon allows for plenty of time to drive around the city with phones in hand, making notes and plans for the week to come. Then comes the hard task of finding a hotel they can collectively afford to stay in for over a week, and the decision on how to room. It's a long discussion, but in the end Max is able to talk Chloe and Rachel into going with one room that has two beds in a three star hotel, rather than two rooms in a lesser quality motel. Max assures the girls it's not a ploy to prevent them from having sex, and that she'd give them all the privacy they need, but she secretly wants to keep a close watch on their relationship.

After taking the elevator up to their floor and entering the room, Max hauls her heavy suitcase to the closet and shoves it inside. "Whew, we made it." She sighs as she drags herself over to one of the beds and sits on it to start fidgeting with the contents of her photography satchel. "Got some good pictures today, but I know we'll take a lot better pictures pretty soon!"

Rachel drops her bag by the closet and strolls past Max to sit on the other bed, thumbing through her phone. "I second that. This is the most ballin city in Oregon, lots of awesome photo ops. But, it's about dinner time and I just feel like chillin in here. What about you two?"

Chloe carelessly tosses her suitcase against a wall and shrugs, looking to Max who nods in acceptance toward the idea. "Alright, let's order a pizza or something."

Rachel shakes her head. "Nah, that's too greasy. Could you cruise around and find some good takeout? You already know me and Max so well, but we still have some catching up to do with each other." She offers Chloe her best 'pretty please' face.

"Oh, gotcha. You two get to know each other better, then. Just save the rated X stuff for when I get back, OK? I don't wanna miss Max's story of how she lost her virginity." She grins as she watches Max's face go beet red, then turns around and heads back out of the hotel room.

Rachel stands and makes her way over to the door to open it and look down the hallway to watch Chloe get into the elevator while Max sighs, happy to relax on the cozy bed for a second as she thinks.

 _That was a pretty good day, all in all. We made it to Portland safely, saw some pretty cool sights in Eugene and Salem, and have a lot to see here in the coming days. I didn't realize how hard it would be to watch Chloe kiss all over Rachel's face, though. I feel the same surges of warmth all through my chest when I'm around Chloe that I did when I was only 13. I thought that was just kid crush stuff. Am I still crushing like a kid, or is this something more? Am I in love with Chloe?_

Rachel closes the door and turns around. "Max." She has a dead serious expression and tone all of a sudden. "We need to talk."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Max adopts a deer in headlights look as she gazes up at Rachel, the Californian slowly approaching her with a stern and determined expression.

 _Oh God… she said "We need to talk." Nothing good ever follows that! She probably knows I have feelings for Chloe by now, so I guess she's about to defend her territory or something. Are Long Beach girls violent? Should I be concerned for my safety?_

"Um… what about?" Max tries to keep it casual as she slips her photography satchel strap overhead to leave the bag on the bed, then slowly rises to her feet to face Rachel. Her hands reach for her lap to fiddle with the buckle of her little purple belt.

Rachel puts her hands on her hips and tilts her head down to glare past her brows. "I'll be nice to you in front of Chloe, for her sake, but we can NOT be friends. Not after that shit you pulled."

Max drops her jaw as she exhales, a bit taken aback by the cold and blunt statement, her eyes darting about as her mind searches for what she did that was so terribly wrong. "Rachel… I don't know what you think happened, but I'm not here to cause any trouble. I didn't come down here to try and steal Chloe from you, I just want to enjoy a road…"

"Really, Max!?" Rachel interrupts, her voice elevated and forehead creasing in her anger. "That's what you think this is about? Wow, you really don't have a fucking clue, do you?"

The elevated tone knocks Max back on her heels, the frightened teen taking a step back. "No, I guess I don't know what this is about. Please, explain what happened so I can understand."

Rachel scoffs and folds her arms under her bust. "Please explain what happened? You're going to regret asking me to do that, but it looks like nobody ever told you. It seems fitting I have to be the one to call you out on this shit."

 _Oh no… she sent Chloe away on purpose. She was planning this. What is this?_

"Saturday, December 13th, 2008. Ring any bells?" The rage in Rachel's eyes burns right through Max. "Chloe helped you move your things from your room to your parents' car, gave you a great big hug and said 'Call me when you get there.' Do you remember what you said back to her?"

Max begins slowly backpedalling as she realizes the meaning of this rage, retreating to no avail as Rachel advances on her. She quietly repeats what became the most awful lie she ever told. "Of course… we're best friends forever."

"That's right. And then you crumpled her up and threw her away. You never spoke to her again!" Rachel squeezes her hands into fists but keeps them down around her hips. "When her father died it wasn't his choice. When her mother had to make sacrifices from the loss of income it wasn't her choice. But you CHOSE to drop Chloe out of your life when she needed you the most! You hurt her more than anyone else in the world!"

"W…wait, that's not how I meant it." Max struggles to find a way to defend herself as she tears up. "It wasn't supposed to seem like that."

"Well it seemed that way to her! You crushed her, Max. By the time I met her nine months later she was totally broken and alone. There was nothing in her eyes, just… shadows. I didn't know why yet, but I knew she was hurt real bad, so I became a friend to her. I did all I could for her those first few months of freshman year. Fast forward to Sunday evening, December 13th, 2009, exactly one year after you abandoned her. I got a text from her that just said 'Thanks for being the only one who cares. Goodbye Rachel.' Do you have any idea what it feels like to receive a text like that?"

Max reaches up to clutch at her heart through her pink shirt as she realizes the true severity of this story, her first tears rolling down her cheeks as she retreats across the room. "No…" She shakes her head, trying to will the conversation to end just as much as to answer Rachel's question.

Rachel matches her step for step toward the sliding glass door that leads to the balcony on the far side of the room. "I called her and called her, but she turned her phone off. I called her mom, but Joyce thought Chloe was hanging with me. When I realized where she went I rode my bike so hard through the snow I crashed, and now I have a permanent scar on my right knee. I BLED for her while you sat in Seattle and did nothing!"

It feels like a knife stabbing her when Max feels Rachel's finger pound into her chest in that last sentence. "Please… I can't hear this. Please, stop." Her begging comes out in whimpers as she backs into the glass door, having nowhere else to retreat to.

"I barely made it to the junkyard in time." Rachel doesn't relent, even as she tears up from the pain of the memory rising through her rage. "She was sitting in our hideout writing the last sentence of her goodbye letter to me. She had a bottle of sleeping pills she was going to take, and just go lie in the snow… to die, cold and alone. That's how YOU made her feel, Max."

"Nooooo!" Max breaks down, covering her face with both hands to hide her shame and sorrow as she sobs. Her back slowly slides down the glass door as she crumples to the floor, Rachel's story striking her like a pickaxe, tearing her apart piece by piece.

"She tried to take them as soon as I found her, and I had to leap on her and hold her tight so she couldn't down those pills." Rachel looms over Max, one of her own tears dropping to leave a wet mark on Max's white jeans. "I tried everything to stop her. I reasoned, demanded, pleaded and begged, but she was so determined to die. I held her for an hour until my arms ached, and I knew they were going to fail me soon and I would lose her. I couldn't feel my hands or feet, and I thought I was going to start losing fingers from frostbite. I was only fifteen… I wasn't ready to deal with something like that. Chloe's face was so blank and distant, and I felt so helpless as nothing I said would work."

Max buries her face into her knees as she wraps her arms around her legs to cuddle into herself, trying to stop her limbs from shaking over the trauma of hearing the consequences of her past. "Please… please, no more."

"You want to know what finally did it, Max?" Rachel reaches up to wipe her index fingers under her eyes, pulling the tears away and smearing her makeup. Her tone becomes quiet and somber. "I told her that I would stay with her no matter what… that if she took those pills and fell asleep in the snow, I would lie down and die with her. That's what made her break down and cry and hold me tight. That brought her back to me. All she needed was someone to stand with her no matter what… to be her best friend forever… to fulfill the promise you broke a year before."

Rachel finally relents as she turns around to find the box of tissues near the hotel TV, using one to dab her eyes and blow her nose. Her rage seems spent as she witnesses Max in such a fragile and defeated state, crumpled and sobbing into her knees. She walks over to sit on the foot of the bed that's closer to the balcony, looking down at Max.

"I've been waiting three years to do that. I thought it would feel a lot better, but it hurt me, too." She concedes with a sigh, slumping and resting her forearms on her thighs. "I thought you would be some cold hearted bitch that didn't give a shit, the type of person that uses people up and throws them away. But you've been so gentle and sweet today… you're not at all what I expected. I just don't understand how you could have done something like that to Chloe. I can't be friends with someone who does something like that for no reason. Why did you do it, Max?"

Max slides her feet along the carpeted floor to lay her legs flat and folds her hands in her lap, leaning her head back against the window and peering up at Rachel. Her face is so pink and puffy from sobbing, glistening with the moisture of many fallen tears. She sniffs a few times as she tries to regain her composure, swallowing hard and considering how to respond. In her totally defeated state her mind arrives at the simple truth.

"She was my first crush. I developed feelings for her at thirteen, and I wanted to tell her. But then her dad died and it didn't feel like the right time. And then my parents told me they were moving me to Seattle and I thought I would never see her again. It broke my heart… every time I picked up a phone and thought about calling Chloe I started crying. I couldn't do it. I'm so sorry… I wasn't strong enough for her."

Rachel wrinkles her brows and drops her jaw a bit as she stares at the floor, her mind racing to process the information and see Max in a different light than she ever saw her before. She takes a few deep breaths as her hands rub up and down her thighs. "Wait, didn't it get easier when you started dating? Didn't you find anyone else to crush on?"

Max immediately shakes her head. "I tried dating a few boys and a couple girls, but I could never get past kissing. It didn't feel right because they weren't… Chloe." She sighs as she looks down at her feet.

"Oh my God…" Rachel breathes the words out as she starts to see the picture. "You're totally in love with her, aren't you? Like, soul mate stuff. Have you felt all the warm tingles and things rushing around inside you these last couple of days, being around her again?"

Max just nods and keeps staring at her feet, pressing her lips tightly together as she anticipates more terrorizing after she's admitted she has feelings for Rachel's girlfriend.

"Damn, that's heavy." Rachel stands up and walks over to the box of tissues, plucking two out and stepping over to Max to offer them to the girl. "Here." She stares down at Max as her face battles with a myriad of emotions.

Max reaches up to collect the tissues and pats her face down with them, confused by the kind gesture all of a sudden but certainly not about to complain. "Thanks."

Rachel folds her arms over her stomach and shifts her weight from foot to foot, seeming quite uncomfortable with her thoughts. She seems to want to say a lot of things, but gives up as she twists to walk away. "I'm going to clean up. I'd rather not get into this with Chloe tonight." She collects her bathroom supply bag from her suitcase and disappears into the bathroom.

Max pushes herself to her feet and stares around the room like a zombie, feeling so mentally drained after hearing the worst story she could ever imagine. Her eyes land on the door behind her and she decides to slide it open and step out to the balcony to get a breath of fresh air. Her hands reach out to cling to the top railing as she props her right foot on the bottom bar of the railing, leaning into it to spend a few minutes peering down at the sunset covered expanse of Portland seven stories down.

 _Chloe was going to kill herself… because of me? What kind of person am I? I always figured I was a good person because I'm polite, honest, attentive… but is all that just surface bullshit? Am I selfish deep down, where it really matters? I put myself above my best friend when I blocked her out of my life to try and stop the pain of losing her, and it almost killed her. How am I ever going to make this up to her? Why didn't she scream at me over the phone, or the first time she saw me?_

"MAX!" Rachel shrieks from within the hotel room and sprints from the bathroom to the sliding glass door in a panic.

Max gasps and twists around to take a step away from the rail and toward the open sliding door, her shocked eyes zipping around to try and figure out what's going on.

Rachel runs right into her and pulls her into a tight hug. "Don't do it!"

After standing in shock for a few moments Max realizes how wonderful it feels to be hugged right now, so she sinks into it and wraps her arms around Rachel to give her a firm squeeze. "Oh, did you think I was going to jump? No, I was just getting some fresh air. I'm OK, Rachel, really."

"Oh, thank God. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if you jumped." Rachel decides to hold the hug, giving Max a soothing back rub as well. "Listen, Max… I'm sorry for coming down on you so hard like that. Three years of bottled up anger toward someone I never met just kind of turned into a raging meltdown. I always thought you'd be a bitch… and straight. I didn't think you might have real feelings for Chloe and that's why you couldn't maintain a long distance friendship with her. I totally understand now. I forgive you… but, you did hurt Chloe really bad, so you still owe her big time."

Max nods at Rachel as the two slip out of the hug. "I know, that's what I was just thinking about out here. How can you make up for something like that? It could take a lifetime." She sighs as she moves through the sliding door back into the hotel room. "What about my feelings for Chloe, though? Aren't you mad?"

Rachel closes the door behind her and shakes her head. "No, you can't control what the heart wants. I won't blame you for loving Chloe, but I do think you should tell her. Some time, during this road trip, you should find the courage to tell her what you wanted to when you were thirteen."

Max nervously brushes her hands through her hair as she walks through the room. "That's not really why I wanted to go on this road trip, though. I don't like to come between people who are in relationships, it makes me so uncomfortable. Are you sure I should tell her?"

Rachel follows Max to the bathroom and leans on the door frame as she watches Max rinse her face off with cold water. "Just look at what happened the last time you didn't tell her how you really felt. You don't wanna go down that road again, Max. You have nine days, and I'll be here to help if you need it. We can make plans together to make sure Chloe will never be sad and alone again. Just think it over, OK?"

Max looks at herself in the mirror after thoroughly rinsing and cooling her face under the water to get as much of the pink puffiness out as she could. "You're right. I'll tell her… when the time is right. It's not like she'll leave you for me, anyway. I live up in Seattle, and you… well, look at you. You're so gorgeous it's not even fair."

Rachel laughs and approaches to hug Max from behind, leaning her chin on the girl's shoulder to make eye contact through the mirror. "You're adorable, Max. And to some people that's far more attractive than being gorgeous." She rubs her hands over Max's stomach a little as she watches their reflection for a few moments. "Are we OK?"

Max slowly nods and smiles. "Yeah, we're OK. Thanks for telling me the truth about Chloe. Does anyone else know?"

Rachel shakes her head as she lets Max go. "No. And nobody else needs to know." She pats Max on the shoulder and turns around to head out of the bathroom.

Max sighs as she stares at herself in the mirror. _I was supposed to be taking pictures at the Seattle Science Center and the Space Needle with Kristen and Fernando today. That would have been so fun and easy. Did my future self know how big of a drama bomb she was dropping on me this week?_

Max turns the light off in the bathroom and goes to sit on the foot of her chosen bed, watching the hotel TV as Rachel flips through the channels to find something interesting. Five minutes later the door clicks and opens, Chloe entering with two white plastic bags that have Panda Express logos on them, and a six-pack of beer.

"What's up, my bitches?" Chloe enters with her usual brash attitude. "I brought you like forty pounds of food! These people give way too much rice. Seriously, though, this is heavy, you both owe me kisses. I want them." She stands between the beds and leans forward with her brows raised expectantly.

Rachel laughs and pushes off the bed to plant a kiss on Chloe's left cheek, and Max follows to plant one on the right. Having received her toll, Chloe grins and passes out big, white Styrofoam boxes full of food, and the girls take their positions on the beds to watch TV while munching away. Chloe is too busy chowing down and watching TV to really take notice of the emotional air in the room, Rachel and Max successfully keeping the drama to themselves.

After the food is gone and they're all sipping on a beer Max raises the question about how Chloe bought it, but feels pretty dumb when the obvious answer is a fake ID. She doesn't find the bitterness of it that appealing, but being polite she drinks what she was given. Max stays seated on the foot of the bed as she's watching TV, but Chloe and Rachel have scooted back to cuddle together amongst all the pillows.

Chloe whispers a few things into Rachel's ear, the model to be grinning and looking over to Max. "Max, dear, could you give us the room for a few minutes?"

Max peers over her shoulder and realizes what's going on. "Oh, right, sexy time. Actually, that's fine. I need to go be alone and focus on something." She steps over to her suitcase to pull out her journal and colored pencils.

"Don't write anything bad about me in there!" Chloe calls out as Max grabs a keycard and heads toward the door.

"Everything about you is bad, Chloe. But we love you anyway!" Max playfully calls over her shoulder, hearing Chloe call her a smartass as she passes through the door.

Max heads down to the end of the hall where there's a cushioned seat tucked up against the window that overlooks the city below. She sits sideways on it, leaning back on the wall and propping her feet up on the cushion to make a diagonal table of her thighs. The one beer doesn't seem to cloud her mind, rather it helps her forget her stresses a bit and lets the writing flow freely as she chronicles everything important that happened since she arrived in Arcadia Bay. As she finishes up and closes her journal half an hour later she feels something poking her arm through her hoodie pocket, reaching in to find that childhood photo of her and Chloe that Joyce had given her earlier. She lets out a long sigh as she stares down at the happy, innocent face of her best friend and first crush.

 _Oh, Chloe. Poor, young, wonderful Chloe. I can't believe I almost killed you. Why did losing me make you want to die? Did you secretly have a crush on me, too? There's so much I need to ask you this week… and tell you. How will you react if I tell you I love you?_

Her cell phone buzzes and she tucks the photo into her closed journal, then stands up to pull her phone out of her jeans. Chloe texted her a picture of a naked butt. "Tck, are you cereal? Tease… I can't even tell if this is you or Rachel. Ugh, whatever, guess this means you're done in there."

Max makes her way back to the room and knocks before entering, just to be sure, walking in to find Chloe and Rachel snuggled under the sheets in their chosen bed. They're definitely naked, but at least they're covered and seem to be snuggling in the afterglow of their private time.

"Nice text, buttface." Max complains with a mixed frown and smile as she tucks her journal and colored pencils back into her suitcase.

"Yeah, figured you'd like that. Hey, dig into my suitcase and bring me the blue pouch before you grab a seat." Chloe requests as she sees Max.

It takes a few moments to sift through the mass of randomly placed items in that bag to find it, but Max produces the blue pouch and brings it to the bed to offer to Chloe.

"Alright, Doctor Max in the house. Now we're gonna get all fixed up." Chloe opens the bag and pulls out some rolled joints and a lighter, offering a joint to everyone.

"Um, are you sure it's a good idea to smoke pot in here?" Max holds her hands up and back, not accepting the joint offered to her. "I don't know if I'm comfortable with that."

Chloe rolls her eyes and lets out an exaggerated sigh. "Max, you promised you'd loosen up and party with us this week!"

"What? No, I never promised that! You just keep telling me to! Oh my God, this is the peer pressure they warn us about in D.A.R.E." Max eyes the joint as it's still held out in front of her.

"Jesus, Max, it's just weed. I'm not giving you heroine. We're in the hotel room… what do you think is gonna go wrong, you'll fall out of bed? Just smoke a blunt with us. Kick back, relax." Chloe wiggles the joint insistently until Max accepts it.

"Fine, but just the one. And don't try to talk me into any crazy business while I'm high." She puts it in her mouth and leans forward to let Chloe light it.

"Chill, Maxi-Pad. We're just gonna smoke and watch TV till we zonk out." Chloe lights everyone up, then leans back on her pillow.

"Enjoy getting crossfaded for the first time." Rachel smiles and winks at Max as the girl heads over to her own bed.

"I don't know what that means. You Southern Californians need to quit making up words." Max steps out of her shoes and lifts her feet one by one to tug her socks off, then props her pillows up so she can sit upright in bed and use them as a backrest.

"It's when you drink alcohol and smoke pot at once. You'll be fine, though. This weed is dank, and we're experienced users. We'll take care of you." Rachel promises as she leans into Chloe.

Max settles in, finding her body feeling more warm and cozy in that bed with each puff of the joint. All the problems of the world seem to fade away and her eyes wander around the room to take in random details she missed before, as well as the plastic bag stuck over the smoke detector with what looks like an elastic hair tie. Soon the programs on TV are all funny, even the ones that aren't meant to be. Max becomes exceedingly giggly since she's not used to being high, and as she starts cracking up about everything it makes the other two laugh along with her.

The night becomes a blur, though a happy one, and Max stops worrying about her mission for the first time since she received it. She's so relaxed she doesn't really react when Rachel hops out of bed to stroll naked through the room to go wash her makeup off. She just smiles to herself as she identifies that it's not the same butt from the text, and that it must be Chloe's butt in her phone.

Eventually Max strips down to her bra and panties, not feeling like digging through her suitcase for night things with the substances in her, and she just makes a cozy nest in her bed. She's surrounded by warmth and softness, and she's so totally relaxed that sleep claims her before the others are finished watching TV. Max doesn't even remember when she fell asleep, only that she's content with how the day ended and is ready to begin the next.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

"Max." Chloe whispers as she slides into the girl's bed. "Max, wake up."

Max gazes up to see her naked best friend sliding into her bed, the morning light from the window behind her making Chloe look so mysterious and beautiful. She blinks up at the blue haired beauty, wondering what's going on, but the answer is soon evident. Chloe crawls over Max to straddle her lap, pinning the young photographer on her back and lying atop her, breast to breast.

"I've been waiting so long for you to come back into my life." It's all the explanation Chloe gives before leaning down and planting kiss after kiss on Max's lips, her arms encircling the brunette's head to lock her into the kisses.

Max squirms, feeling all the soft, warm flesh of Chloe's body rubbing into her own, feeling her heart begin racing at the notion of making love to Chloe, but also the anxiety of knowing Rachel is asleep in the other bed. She feels stunned, trapped, unable to protest or push Chloe off as her body churns with arousal. Chloe's right hand travels down between bodies to rub between Max's breasts and slowly trail down her tummy, her touch electric. The anticipation grows as those fingers move down at an agonizingly slow pace, Max's body on fire with such a palpable need to be touched when those fingertips finally reach her panties. Then, Max feels a firm smack on her butt.

With a gasp and a jolt Max opens her eyes and sees her pillow and the wall that separates the hotel beds from the bathroom, her right cheek feeling the sting of being spanked. She twists around to see Chloe grinning down at her, not realizing the dream she just woke Max from.

"Morning, hippie." She smiles down at Max, the girl wrapped in a towel and her blue hair looking damp from a shower. "I can't believe you slept through the sounds of us getting up and showering. You were really out! And you look hella flushed right now… are you OK?"

Max groans as she flops her face back into the pillow, her mind waking up and body telling her so much. The fiery burn of arousal beneath her belly button is certainly no dream. The pressure on the inside of her skull and awful taste in her mouth is unfortunately real as well, reminders of the previous night that left her dehydrated.

 _Shit… I just had a sex dream about Chloe. My head hurts. I forgot to brush and floss last night because I was high. I'm not going to make it through the week at this rate. Between my body's urges and the substance abuse I'm bound to do or say something about my feelings for Chloe, or about future Max. I have to find a way to keep it together._

"Come on, it's your turn to shower. We've got adventures to go on!" Chloe grips Max's left arm and tugs a few times to try and rouse the girl, and that's when she sees it.

Max only had half a night's sleep after stressing about the message from her future self, so she forgot to thoroughly scrub her left arm during her Friday morning shower. On Saturday morning she was too hasty to finish her shower and deal with the note to David to remember to scrub thoroughly then. So, while a faded pink now, the message from her future self meant only for her eyes has survived until Sunday morning.

"It's real. Save Rachel and Chloe!" Chloe reads it aloud, adopting a very perplexed and disturbed expression. "Max, what the fuck is this? When did you write this? What's real?"

That did the trick to get Max up, the girl suddenly twisting to sit on the side of the bed and pull her arm away from Chloe. She stares down at the faded and blurred but still legible words on her arm. "Oh no…" She doesn't help her case at all as she panics and looks up at Chloe with all kinds of strain in her expression.

 _Fuck my life! I forgot to wash this off. Now what do I do? Think, Max, come on!_

"Oh my God, Max! You're doing it again!" Chloe raises her voice, clearly quite upset. "You keep acting so fucking weird! Don't just sit there giving me guilty face, tell me what this shit means. Right now!"

The sudden shift in tone draws Rachel out of the bathroom to see what's going on. She has a snug white t-shirt on with California written in pink letters, then Dreamin' in blue letters below and a picture of palm trees and blue skies. Below that all she has on are a pair of teal panties half covered by the draping t-shirt, leaving her legs bare to fully show the black dragon tattoo on her right calf. Her hair is brushed and makeup done, though she's still holding her mascara in hand as she quietly approaches to stand beside Chloe.

"You weren't supposed to see that. That wasn't meant for you." Max holds her right hand over most of the message, even though it's too late to hide it now. "I can't explain it to you, Chloe. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Chloe throws her hands up in exasperation, becoming very animated and irate in her response. "Oh, cut the shit, Mystery Max! Nobody is impressed by this cryptic crap. Just fucking fess up! If you don't trust me with your secrets then I guess you didn't come to Oregon to be friends again. So why'd you come, Max?"

Max looks to Rachel, who seems worried about where this is going, but doesn't want to interfere at this time. "Chloe, I want to tell you everything. I really mean that. But this isn't the right time. I'm waiting for something to happen. Something big. Once I get word of that, then I'll explain everything, I promise. But I can't right now. Just wait a couple days, please!" She clamps her hands together as she looks up at Chloe, begging for her to relent.

Chloe growls through grit teeth and stomps in frustration. "I'm sick of this secretive shit! You're starting to remind me a lot of step-douche… do I have to wring the information out of you?"

Rachel steps between them to block Chloe from approaching Max, holding her girlfriend at bay. "Chloe, quit trippin'! Just wait a few days for her to be ready to talk about it. She made you a promise. Can you please respect that?"

Chloe huffs and backs away, shaking her head and giving a very dark look. "Her promises don't mean anything." She twists and marches over to her suitcase to pluck out some clothes, then enters the bathroom and slams the door behind her.

Rachel sits beside Max and raises her right hand to offer the girl a soothing back rub. "Don't worry, Max. She'll get over it. But, what got her so upset, anyway? I missed it."

The sharp pain of Chloe's last words stabbing into her is all Max can focus on, all she can care about at the moment. So she just twists her left arm over and puts it in Rachel's lap to let her see the message through time.

"Um… did you write this? Sorry, I don't know your handwriting yet." Rachel seems a little disturbed at seeing her name written on Max's arm, but keeps her cool.

"It's in my handwriting. But I didn't write it." Max quietly answers, honest but not totally forthcoming.

"Woah… that's gnarly. You just gave me chills…" Rachel looks down over her bare arms and legs at all the goose bumps rising up.

Max takes a deep breath and sighs, looking down at the two soft hands holding her arm and seeing the little black star tattooed on the inside of Rachel's left wrist. She reaches across herself with her right hand to hold Rachel's hand up so she can better inspect the tattoo. "Let's not talk about it anymore. I'll explain when the time is right. How long have you had this?"

Rachel hesitates, but gives in as she accepts the topic hop. "That was my trial tattoo. I got it the day after I turned eighteen to see how the process goes. Then, a month later, I got the tattoo I really wanted." She stands and turns to the side to prop her right foot on the bed next to Max's left thigh.

Max leans her head left and right as she looks all around Rachel's shiny, pristine leg, thinking just as much about how perfect Rachel's body is for modeling as she is about the tattoo. It's all black ink, a dragon's tail starting on the shin near the ankle and wrapping around the calf, then curling up along the outside of the right leg, the dragon's head on the upper calf. She nods and smiles a little, then slowly pushes to her feet.

"It's beautiful and badass. Just like you, right?" She softly pokes Rachel in the belly as she walks past the girl to the suitcases.

"Hah, yeah right. The tattoo is, but I'm not. I can party hard, but Chloe's the real badass here." Rachel pulls her foot off the bed and heads to her own bag to find a pair of socks and pants for the day.

"Well, hopefully not too much of a badass. This day will be hella awkward otherwise." Max tries the word out as she piles up a full set of clothing.

"Um, please don't start using that word. I give Chloe a free pass because I love her, but SoCal girls really aren't into the word hella. It's so Northern." Rachel wiggles into a tight pair of blue jeans as she responds, then slips some little white socks on and fetches her Converse shoes.

Chloe comes out of the bathroom in her dark blue beanie, red tank top with a flaming skull graphic on the front, little black jacket and black jeans, with her patented suspenders dangling around her thighs. Awkward silence follows as she and Rachel put their shoes on while Max shuffles into the bathroom to set her clothing pile on the counter next to Rachel's elaborate makeup kit, then looks herself in the mirror.

 _Way to fuck everything up, Max. All you had to do was wash your arm, but no, that's too hard. Now Chloe's pissed. Or maybe she was pissed all along and just kept it on the inside. I did almost kill her by accident. Is she happy to have me back in her life, or am I just upsetting her? I don't know my best friend anymore. How many more things can I screw up this week? Ugh, just… keep them from going back to Arcadia Bay. That's all you need to focus on right now._

Questions and problems swirl in her mind as she tugs her bra and panties off from yesterday and hops into the shower. The self-conscious questioning is only interrupted when she's washing herself, her hand rubbing between her legs to clean but feeling a needy zip of pleasure.

 _Oh, fuck you, hormones! After that drama you still won't leave me alone? I guess I can't ignore it after that dream… at least Chloe was distracted by the writing on my arm and didn't realize how horny I woke up. That would have been so embarrassing… especially if she found out it was about her._

With a sigh Max gives in, sinking down into the tub and extending her shower by a few minutes to give herself an intimate massage and release all those unwanted hormones. And this time she doesn't forget to thoroughly scrub her arm, fully removing that permanent Sharpie marker from Thursday. After drying, brushing and flossing, Max puts on her daily outfit and leaves the bathroom. She feels a pit in her stomach when the room is empty, the girls having gone down to the hotel dining area to order breakfast without her.

 _And once again I'm the awkward third wheel here. Got a hole to dig myself out of._

Max picks up her camera and sees there's one picture left, so she heads out to the balcony to take a selfie with Portland under the morning light as the backdrop, then reloads the film. After putting her shoes on and equipping her photography satchel she plucks up her cell phone to see a text from Rachel confirming what she already knew, that they're in the dining area. She tucks her phone into her blue jeans and adjusts her white t-shirt with Hawt Dawg Man on the front saying "Idea!" Then she grabs her light blue fleece to fold over her arm and heads down, taking the elevator to the lobby and walking to the dining area to find Chloe and Rachel.

Rachel smiles and waves at Max as she's approaching. "Hey, we ordered you pancakes and coffee. Hope you're cool with that."

Max returns the smile and nods. "Yeah, I love pancakes. Thank you." Chloe and Rachel are sitting across from each other at a table for four, and after an awkward hesitation Max decides to sit next to Rachel and give Chloe a little space.

The food comes out less than a minute later, Max having almost perfect timing, and the girls are eager to put down some calories. During breakfast Rachel is the one that breaks the silence.

"So, how are we gonna do this? Yesterday we all made lists of things we wanted to do, places we wanted to see, but how do we decide on when to do what? I'm psyched to complete my list, but I don't wanna step on either of your toes. Any ideas?" She glances between the two as she munches on some hash browns and drops a lemon wedge she ordered into the ice water that was brought out for her.

"Well, we could break the days into three slots." Max replies as she cuts her pancakes. "One of us could decide what to do between breakfast and lunch, then the second between lunch and dinner, and third gets the night slot." Her eyes roam the table to see no other lemon wedges. "Sorry, did you specifically order a lemon wedge to put in your water?"

Rachel gives Max a surprised look, then shrugs her shoulders. "Yeah. So?"

Max glances down at the umbrella hanging off of Rachel's belt loop, then laughs and shakes her head. "You're so weird."

"What? No! Fucking… go to Long Beach! I'm normal, I swear." Rachel's protests just make Max laugh harder, which makes Rachel laugh, and even gets Chloe to start smiling again.

"Yeah, we're all totally normal here." Chloe says sarcastically, then points at Max. "And you have the right idea. I like the time slot thing. Let's get down to bidness and plan our day."

And, just like that, Chloe's back to her usual self, much to the relief of Max and Rachel. The three discuss what they want to do, and after checking the favorable forecast for the day Max and Rachel both agree they want to spend the daylight hours in Washington Park, while Chloe gladly accepts the evening slot.

After breakfast the three head out of their Courtyard Marriott hotel and walk south a few blocks to hop on the Metropolitan Area Express, or MAX, light rail. Chloe makes sure to exhaust the coincidence that the transit system is named MAX, and starts calling Max "The Conductor". After taking a couple of silly train selfies with Chloe and Rachel, the light rail arrives in Washington Park.

The World Forestry Center is right across the street from the station, so Max and Rachel decide to go check it out with a reluctant Chloe dragging behind. The museum is very informative about the forests of the Pacific Northwest, but after half an hour Chloe is bored out of her mind and starts making inappropriate sexual references about every piece of wood in there, of which there are many. When a mother hears one of those jokes near her small children the girls have to flee the scene to avoid being kicked out, Chloe feeling quite accomplished after they escape.

A sign says that across the parking lot is the Portland Children's Museum. Max playfully suggests that Chloe wait in there with her peers while she and Rachel visit the Oregon Zoo, which earns her a laugh and a bop on the shoulder. The three check into the zoo and spend a few hours walking around looking at all the animal exhibits, taking some pictures, and constantly trying to convince Chloe that she's not allowed to throw things at the animals to "make them do something". They have a quick lunch at the zoo, then head back out.

The girls take a bus to the other side of the large park and make their way into the International Rose Test Garden. Roses every color, shape and size imaginable are planted in seemingly endless rows, and in their Spring bloom the sights and smells are absolutely enchanting. Chloe's childish antics are stowed as even she is mesmerized by the beauty of this place. Max is glad she brought extra film because she goes through a lot of pictures at the garden, snapping plenty of selfies as well as shots of Rachel and Chloe in front of the bountiful and gorgeous displays of roses.

Rachel desperately wants to see the Portland Japanese Garden across the way, so the three of them walk down the road to make their final stop in Washington Park. The serene tranquility of the garden transports them to a faraway land, and when they discover the waterfall Max has to excuse herself while Rachel and Chloe become enraptured by the romance of the place and start making out. Max takes some pictures of the wonderful teahouse nearby, and when Chloe and Rachel are finished with their romantic canoodling the three link up and head out.

By the time public transit has them back in the city center it's dinner time, and Chloe just tells the other two to follow her. Max is glad to see Chloe happily striding down the street, the day seeming to have eroded away her morning agitation. After stopping into the Portland City Grill for some scrumptious American cuisine, Chloe leads the group to the Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade. The upbeat retro gaming environment is a world of fun for them, the entire evening melting away under the flashing lights and sound effects of pinball machines and arcade games.

Chloe runs into a nearby gas station on the way back to the hotel to buy another six-pack of beer, but this time Max refuses the alcohol and instead runs to the bathroom to brush and floss immediately. So, Chloe and Rachel each have three beers in the hotel room while Max is busily scribbling away in her journal, and also surfing the web on her phone, concerned that there's no news from Arcadia Bay. Chloe distracts Max away from her worries with a joint, and the girls enjoy another late night of getting high and laughing at whatever's on TV. In the end, when the lights are out and the TV off Max finds herself being the last one awake this time, staring at the ceiling and thinking.

 _That was such a good day, not counting the morning drama. I think Chloe's OK with me now. I just have to figure out how to tell her the truth later this week. How is she going to take it? And why isn't there any news from Arcadia Bay yet? What's the meaning of all of this? Woah… I'm so fucking high right now. Yeah, go to sleep, Max. Figure things out tomorrow. And try not to screw anything up._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Max stirs and blinks the sleep out of her eyes as she looks around at the hotel room. It's not very light, but the clock says it's 8:11, so it must be a cloudy morning. The last thoughts in her dream addled mind had something to do with monkeys riding elephants and trying to save the world.

 _Darn zoo… and weed. Weird combo. Oh, wait. I'm awake and Chloe is still asleep! Now's my chance!_

With mischief in her mind Max sneaks out of bed and over to Chloe and Rachel's, pulls the sheets down as stealthily as possible, then plants a vengeful spank on Chloe's butt. Max had remembered to get ready for bed before smoking pot the other night, so she stands in her t-shirt from yesterday and her night shorts, while Chloe and Rachel slept in bras and panties together.

Chloe grunts right into Rachel's ear and scrambles against the girl, both of them waking at once. When Chloe looks up to see Max grinning and standing with her shoulders back, feet apart and hands on her hips like Wonder Woman, so proud of her spank vengeance, she almost doesn't believe her eyes. "Max?" Her voice is scratchy, her body dehydrated from the three beers working overnight. "Holy shitballs, Max, you're loosening up and having fun! Fuck yeah!" She rolls to the edge of the bed and holds her hand high.

Max gives Chloe the high five she's waiting for and nods, smiling as she looks between Chloe and Rachel. "Rise and shine, my punk-rock friends. I'm going to tell you one of my deep, dark secrets at breakfast." And with that, Max just turns to walk to the suitcases and fetches an outfit.

Chloe sits up and swings her legs off the bed. "Is this about the writing on your arm? You're gonna tell us why you've been acting so fucking weird?"

Rachel sits up and cuddles into Chloe from behind, peeking her face around her girlfriend's right shoulder. "You don't have to talk about it if you're not ready yet, Max. It's only Monday. We have time."

Max simply smiles. "Just wait until breakfast." She turns and heads into the bathroom to shower up and prepare for the day.

When Max exits the bathroom in her peach jeans and baby blue shirt with three little yellow chicks on it, the other two are all questions. She can't help but giggle as she maintains the mysterious air and refuses to tell, just grabbing her dark blue jacket, photography satchel and putting her shoes on instead. She asks for their breakfast orders and heads down to the dining area while Chloe and Rachel shower together.

By the time the two arrive down at breakfast Max has them in the palm of her hand, the girls practically running to the table and taking their seats. The food had just been put down on the table right before they arrived, and Max even remembered the lemon wedge for Rachel's water.

"Alright, Agent Max, we're at breakfast now. You can divulge your state secrets." Chloe leans over the table and just ignores her food, eyes wide and attentive on Max.

"OK, here's what happened." Max begins, leaning forward and keeping her voice low and looking around to make sure nobody else can hear. "On Thursday, right before I called you…" She looks to Chloe, her expression very serious. "You're not going to believe me at first, OK? But just bear with me."

"Yeah, sure." Chloe nods, totally captivated, just like Rachel beside her.

"I had like an out of body experience. One minute I was on my bed, the next I was at my desk. There was a note in front of me, and that writing on my arm. The note told me all this stuff that was going to happen in the future. It told me that you two were going to die, and gave me instructions on how to prevent that from happening. So I called you immediately and asked to go on this road trip to save your lives."

Chloe looks at Rachel and then back to Max with a rather disturbed look on her face. "Are you being for real, Max?"

Max snorts as she tries and fails to hold in her laughter. "April Foooools!" She points and laughs at the two as they stare wide eyed at her.

Chloe throws her hands up and gasps. "Oh, you bitch! Is it April first today? Damn it, Max, you totally got me!" She waves her hands around in her frustrated antics, but smiles through it, clearly amused.

Rachel just laughs and starts cutting into her breakfast. "Good one, Max. You got me, too."

Max smiles to herself as she starts eating her breakfast, thinking to herself as Chloe and Rachel whisper to each other about all the ways they can get Max back.

 _I think that went well. I told them some of the truth and disguised it as a prank. Now their brains will subconsciously absorb it, and later when I tell the truth for real, they will accept it more easily… or something. At least I think that's how it works. I guess I'll find out in a few days!_

During breakfast the girls make their plans, Max taking the first slot and wanting to do a little scenic hiking, Rachel firmly wanting to do karaoke in the evening, and Chloe still figuring out what she'll do with the afternoon slot. Once the food is gone they hop in Chloe's truck and drive off, Max using her phone to guide them to the parking lot at upper Macleay Park.

First, they head downhill a bit to see some of the dark, mossy forest, passing hikers on their way up from the lower parking lot at the beginning of the trail. Soon, they find the Witches Castle in the gloomy forest, with some cold, eerie fog stuck in the area from the previous night.

"Um… I'm gonna post up here, you guys go ahead." Rachel stops on the trail, but Chloe pushes her insistently forward.

"Don't be such a vagina, it's just a haunted ruin! Let's go inside that dark entrance there and see if any ghosts perv on us." Chloe grins as she disappears inside the structure, pushing Rachel every step of the way.

Max waits at the entrance and takes a picture to illuminate the inside for just a moment, revealing all the elaborate graffiti on the inside of the room, while capturing Chloe's mischievous look and Rachel's frightened face. Then she climbs up to the top of the creepy old stone structure to take a selfie.

On the way back up toward the parking lot Max strikes up a conversation with Rachel, asking her what it was like to grow up in Long Beach. As Rachel tells all, revealing a lot of details to help Max truly get to know her, they pass the parking lot they arrived at and start heading up the second part of the trail. A light rain begins and Rachel is quick to protect her makeup and hair with her umbrella, giving the other two a triumphant look as they just have to get wet. The conversation shifts to Seattle when Rachel returns the favor, asking Max what the last four years of her life were like, the two bonding during the hike. Chloe is too busy huffing and puffing to participate, not feeling like doing all this exercise, but when the three arrive at Pittock Mansion she changes her tune.

"Nice… yeah, if I was hella rich, I'd build a mansion up here, too." Chloe remarks as the three walk around the mansion to check it out.

"Probably a lot less expensive than the mansions in Beverly Hills." Max replies as she admires the design of the century old home turned museum. "What do you think, Rachel?"

"I think mansions are a waste of money. It's beautiful, but if I had that kind of wealth, I'd use it to help people. Especially children in need." Rachel offers a bright smile when the other two give her such impressed looks.

"Just one more reason to call you an Angel." Chloe says softly as she reaches out to hold Rachel's hand.

When the three arrive at the fence protecting people from falling down the steep hill, they can't help but stare at the view in awe. All of Portland proper lies down below, and with the sun sneaking through the clouds and bouncing off the rain drops, there's a lovely rainbow right over the city. They make sure to capture the moment, each taking pictures of each other with the view behind them, and lastly Max takes a picture of Chloe and Rachel kissing under Rachel's umbrella.

The hike back downhill is easy, and Chloe has made her decision quite clear. She wants to spend the afternoon at the indoor pool and hot tub at the hotel and just soak after their hike. The girls make their way back to Chloe's truck just in time before a heavy rain starts to fall, and head back to their hotel room to change into their bathing suits.

Max changes in the bathroom while the others change in the bedroom, then they head down to the pool with some hotel towels, using Rachel's fancy purse to stow their phones and money. Chloe sports a black bikini with red words saying ROCK on the right breast and ON! on the left, repeating down below to say ROCK ON! over the butt. Max wears a tropical blue bikini with large flower patterns on it, and Rachel has a black and white zebra pattern bikini that has a lot less material than the other two girls are wearing. Everyone who sees the three girls walk down the halls to the pool seems to stare at Rachel, and she loves it.

They find one of the white plastic tables in the pool area to claim, leaving their towels and Rachel's purse at it, then Chloe rushes off to order them some lunch. Rachel and Max dip into the pool to stand in the four foot deep area to chat.

"So, Rachel?" Max seems a little meek about her question. "Is it OK if I ask you about your first time… with Chloe?"

Rachel laughs and splashes water at Max. "Don't be so shy. It was on July 22nd. What do you want to know?"

"Wowser, you remember the exact day? It must have been amazing." Max tries not to sound jealous.

"Well, it was my birthday, so of course I remember the day." Rachel drifts over to the edge of the pool and leans her back against it. "It was like seven months after I saved Chloe's life. We were best friends all that time, and I had been dating a boy, but just went through a breakup because of summer vacation from school. So, for my sixteenth birthday she offered me birthday sex, since I wasn't seeing anyone."

Max drifts over to rest her right elbow atop the pool edge, facing Rachel. "So that's when you realized you were into girls? You went from that boy to Chloe?"

Rachel shakes her head suddenly and swallows before speaking, her tone not seeming as relaxed as before. "No, no no. I'm not strictly a lesbian like Chloe is. I'm just… really open minded. I actually thought it was just playful birthday sex, but then she wanted to start dating exclusively afterward. It all just sort of happened."

Max starts to feel the tension in Rachel's words, the beautiful Californian not making eye contact nearly as much anymore. "What's wrong with that? Are you uncomfortable with me asking about this? I guess I probably shouldn't be. It's kind of rude for a virgin to be asking about someone's first time, when I don't have an equal experience to share."

"No, Max, it isn't that." Rachel sighs as she stares at the water. "It just feels weird to me, since you grew up with her. You loved Chloe first, and I feel like I'm some imposter that totally swooped your girl by being in the right place at the right time."

"Oh man, are you cereal?" Max swishes through the water to be in front of Rachel and wraps her in a tight hug. "That's not who you are at all, Rachel. You're the girl that saved Chloe's life! I'll always be grateful for you. I can see Chloe is in love with you, and I'm OK with that. Maybe you won't end up together forever, but I made her wait four years for me, it's only fair that I wait for her in return."

Rachel smiles and gives Max a squeeze. "You're the sweetest thing ever, Max. I… need to tell you something…"

"Hey! Getting hella handsy with my girlfriend there, Max Phelps." Chloe is heard shouting across the pool area, loud enough for the ten strangers present to overhear. "You're not allowed to do that kind of breast stroke in the pool here!"

Max pulls away from Rachel and blushes furiously as everyone stares at her. She's so embarrassed she takes a breath and hides underwater from their prying eyes.

 _Damn it, Chloe! Embarrassing the shit out of me… and Rachel was about to say something important. I wonder what she needed to tell me. I'll have to find a way to get a moment alone with her later. Hopefully it goes better than the last time we had a moment alone._

Rachel twists and pulls herself out of the pool, doing her best to save the mortified Maxine as she slowly runway walks toward their chosen table in her tiny zebra striped bikini. The distraction definitely works, all eyes on her and forgetting all about the submerged teen.

Chloe places a big tray down on the table with plates of food from the dining area and bottled drinks she had stashed in the hotel room. "Seriously, though, is everything cool? Were you actually trying to seduce each other or did something bad happen?"

Rachel takes the kale salad and one of the beers. "Don't worry, Blue. We're just bonding. Max and I have a lot in common."

Max comes up from the water to have a peek around and sees nobody staring at her, so she makes her way to the steps and slinks out of the pool to take her place at the table.

Chloe looks between the two as she passes Max the club sandwich she ordered and a plastic bottle of soda. "Alright, cool. Told you that you'd get along with her, Max." She smiles and takes a seat to start working on her lunch, keeping a keen eye on Max all the while.

Max can sense she's being watched, feeling like she might have overstepped her boundaries and offended Chloe, that is until she opens her soda. After unscrewing the cap the thing violently starts exploding and shooting fizz all over her, making her squeal in surprise and drop the soda on the tiles below.

Chloe laughs as loud as she can, rocking in her seat in amusement as she points at Max. "April Fools! You just got Mentos bombed! Told you I'd get you back! Oh, the look on your face, that was epic!"

"Ugh…" Max stands there with her hands held up in front of her, sticky with soda. "Such a jerk!" She growls, though she can't help but smile afterward.

Rachel laughs and shakes her head. "Hey, at least she waited for you to be in a bikini. Just jump in the pool and rinse off. You brought a real drink for her, right babe?"

Chloe nods and puts a hard lemonade by Max's sandwich. "Some rookie alcohol for the newbie that isn't used to day drinking. If we're gonna sing karaoke tonight, you ain't goin in sober, girl! Not on my watch!"

Max snickers. "That sounds like you, Chloe. Thanks for the rookie alcohol, I guess." Then she hops in the pool to rub herself down and clean all that sugar off so she can take her place at the table once again.

The three enjoy their lunches and beers, their spirits rising with the warm buzz of a little alcohol in their systems. As they're finishing their food the people in the hot tub leave, so the girls go claim it for themselves and soak for a while. Max tells the others all about her friends Kristen and Fernando, which leads Rachel to talking about her pre-teen friends from Long Beach. Chloe pretends to fall asleep while Rachel's talking, which earns her a punch in the shoulder that escalates to hot tub wrestling and making out. Max just smiles as she watches them enjoy each other until it's time to leave, feeling less jealous every time she watches them engage like that.

As Rachel exits the hot tub Max watches and finally figures out what makes her so attractive. While her skin seems soft and flawless from head to toe and her face is beautifully shaped, most of her body seems to have average proportions save for one crucial detail. Her rib cage is quite small, pinching her waistline and giving the illusion that she has larger breasts and wider hips than she actually does. Max becomes lost in her photographic mind as she imagines all the tricks in the book on how to show off Rachel's body in two dimensions, until Chloe yells at her to get out of the hot tub and the three finally exit the pool area.

After rinsing the chlorine away in the hotel room, they put their daily outfits back on have an hour left to burn before the evening begins. The girls decide to spend it calling their parents and friends with April Fools jokes and catching up a bit on what everyone else is doing with their Spring Breaks. Max tries to snoop on Chloe when she's on the phone with Joyce, but doesn't hear anything dramatic.

When the sun sets they head to Voicebox Karaoke, where they link up with three Portland girls wanting to sing the night away as well. The six of them pitch in and purchase a private room in which to eat, drink and sing with some or no singing skills, all of them happily embarrassing themselves except for Chloe, who seems immune to embarrassment.

They leave with hoarse throats but in a jolly mood, recanting some of the fun moments they just shared with the locals. When they arrive back in the hotel room Rachel points out that there's no beer left, and uses her 'pretty please' face once again to send Chloe shopping.

Max sits on the foot of her bed watching TV as she eyes Rachel coming back from the door, sitting just left of Max instead of going to sit on her own bed. "Hey, Rachel… are you about to tell me what you were going to in the pool?"

Rachel nods and wraps her right arm around Max's back to hold her shoulder to shoulder. "Yeah. I've been thinking. I might have a solution to this whole… we both love Chloe thing."

Max looks a little worried as she folds her hands in her lap, fidgeting a little. "A solution?"

Rachel struggles with her words, then lets out a heavy sigh. "I'll just come out and say it. I've been having feelings for you, Max. I want to invite you into our relationship, if you're OK with it, and Chloe is OK with it. What do you think?"

Max locks up, totally petrified as she stares at Rachel.

"Sweetie, don't be so tense. I don't bite… unless you ask me to." She offers a seductive smile as she twists toward Max and leans in, holding the girl hostage with the arm that's already around her.

"Ah… Um, Rachel, I don't know about this. This isn't… I'm not…" Max squirms as her heart races, feeling the heat of Rachel's breath on the left side of her neck.

"Just give it a chance." Rachel whispers as she leans in close, brushing her cute little nose all the way up Max's neck and into her ear. Once her soft lips press into that ear and send shivers up and down Max's body she whispers again. "April Fools."

"Nngghkk…" Max feels her brain explode, falling backward and pretending to faint.

Rachel bursts into laughter and pats Max on the stomach. "Had to get you back, didn't I? Happy April first to you, too, Max."

Max sighs and opens her eyes as she stares at the ceiling. "David was right. You guys are going to turn me into a hell-raiser."

Hearing Joyce's word for her just makes Rachel laugh even harder, but she lets it end at that. Rachel heads into the bathroom to wash her makeup off and strips down to her bra and panties, then tucks herself in bed. Meanwhile, Max chronicles the day in her journal, then changes down to her shorts. By the time Chloe arrives the two of them are tucked in and cozy.

Chloe passes out beers and joints, then strips down to her bra and panties to cuddle up with her girlfriend. Chloe and Rachel start getting frisky and ask for some private time, so Max collects her photography satchel and heads into the bathroom. While she's organizing all the photos she's taken in the last few days, cleaning and reloading her camera, and remembering to brush and floss before bed, she has plenty of time to think.

 _Wowser. That was the best day I've had in forever. Or maybe it just seems that way after all the drama I've had to suffer through since Thursday. But playing practical jokes on each other, going exploring, singing, drinking and getting high together, I really feel accepted by Chloe and Rachel. I feel like I'm part of their group now. Today feels like it went so perfectly I almost forgot why I'm here. David Madsen… what are you doing over there? I guess I have to come up with a Plan B at this point. If my note didn't get to him, or failed to get through to him, I need to go to someone else. How do you leave anonymous tips to the police? I'll have to look it up tomorrow, figure this out. I'm really starting to care a lot about Chloe again, and now Rachel, too. If David won't come through for them, I'll have to do it myself._


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Bzzt. Bzzt. The sound of Chloe's phone vibrating on the bedside table wakes the girls up at around 7:30 on Tuesday morning. They had stayed up past midnight and none of them felt like rising just yet. Rachel grumbles and rolls away to face the balcony as she snuggles her pillow, while Max glances at the red numbers of the alarm clock and stuffs her head under her pillow in reaction to the time. Chloe tries to ignore the phone but it just keeps buzzing and buzzing until she gives in and answers it.

"Oh my God, mom, it's too fucking early." She whines, her voice very scratchy from all the singing and beer she had the other night. "This shit better be important."

After some silence Chloe tosses the sheets off and throws her feet over the edge of the bed to sit up, her tone shifting from agitation to disbelief. "What? Mom, April Fool's Day is over… are you being serious right now?"

Max emerges from under her pillow and lifts her head to peer at Chloe, watching the tension build in her face and seeing her free hand grip the edge of the bed so firmly her knuckles go white.

"Jesus… is it on the news?" Chloe's eyes begin to shimmer with emotion as she meets Max's gaze, then she stands and turns to the TV to switch it on and flip through the channels.

Chloe soon finds what she's looking for and sits on the foot of her bed, the other two girls sitting up to watch as well. A breaking news story about Arcadia Bay is being broadcasted state wide. An hour ago, at around sunrise, local police raided a barn owned by the Prescott family and arrested Mark Jefferson on the scene. They discovered evidence in the bunker beneath the barn of him drugging, kidnapping and photographing girls he had been taking from Blackwell Academy over the years, usually his very own students. Further evidence linked Nathan Prescott to the more recent crimes, who was apprehended from the Prescott Estate half an hour ago. Sean Prescott is under investigation for any possible involvement in the crimes, being that his barn was used and his son was involved. The reporters continue to repeat the same details over and over as they wait for further information.

 _Photographing? I thought the letter said they were being raped. Did my future self lie to me and David, or are they lying on the news to protect the victims or the ongoing investigation?_

"Yeah, I'm still here, mom. I'm watching it, but the TV didn't mention… Listen, I just woke up. I need caffeine. Can I call you back? Is that OK?" Chloe sounds so very concerned and hurt. "Alright, talk to you in a bit."

As soon as Chloe ends the call Max slips out of bed. She glances at Rachel who is staring down at the sheets in dismay, her face seeming very pale as she processes the news. Max walks around Chloe and Rachel's bed to take a seat on the corner, just left of Chloe. A tear rolls down Chloe's cheek as she just stares at the TV with a hopeless expression.

"Chloe… what's wrong?" Max braces herself as she asks for whatever awful news Joyce shared that the TV did not.

"He… he was there." Chloe speaks so quietly Max can barely hear the words, her eyes still on the TV. "David's dead."

Max goes wide eyed and drops her jaw in shock, guilt immediately wracking her body and making her shrink into herself where she sits. "No…"

 _I'm a murderer… I sent David to his death. My God… what have I done? It wasn't supposed to happen this way. What did I do wrong?_

"I called him a junkie…" Chloe leans forward to rest her elbows on her knees and buries her face into her hands. "I made fun of the PTSD he got from serving his country. That's always going to be the last thing I ever said to him!"

"Oh, Chloe…" Max reaches over to rub Chloe's back. "I'm so sorry." Her eyes go over to Rachel who still seems to be stunned by the news, staring down at the bulges of her feet under the sheets. "Rachel?"

Rachel looks up from those sheets to meet Max's gaze as her name is spoken. "Huh?" Her eyes dart between the two girls on the front of the bed and she realizes she's needed, so she crawls forward over the sheets. "Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts." She takes her place by Chloe's right side and pulls her sobbing girlfriend into her breasts to try and comfort her.

While Rachel holds Chloe and gives her soothing back rubs, Max just sits there staring at the TV for a few minutes, all of the girls suffering from the news for different reasons. Eventually Max stands and moves over to the hotel phone to look through the house numbers. "I'm going to order breakfast and coffee to the room. I don't think any of us feel like going anywhere right now."

After placing three orders Max decides to shower, giving Chloe and Rachel time alone to hold each other and cope with the news. The events of Friday night and Saturday morning run through Max's mind over and over again as she cleans herself.

 _I'm a failure. If I had just been able to stay awake and leave the note out over night, then David would have had it sooner. He would have acted sooner, and he'd still be alive. But, I took that picture by the mailbox. My future self will be able to come back and fix this, right? Can this be fixed? Well, not until October at the earliest. I have to take care of Chloe until then… and Joyce. Poor Joyce. She deserves so much better than this._

Max comes out of the bathroom in her grey jeans and light green t-shirt, spots Chloe and Rachel still right where she left them, and approaches to try and help. She brushes a hand through each girl's hair, Rachel's feeling like silk while Chloe's is thicker and warmer. "Breakfast will be here soon… is there anything else I can do to make either of you feel better?"

Rachel raises her face to offer a grateful smile. "You're already doing it, Max." Her eyes shift back to the TV when it shows a picture of Mark Jefferson, her expression shifting to repulsion and horror.

As she realizes the news can only upset them further Max fetches the remote and changes the channel to an old comedy re-run, but lowers the volume quite a bit. "Alright. We'll just take things one step at a time. Breakfast will be here in a minute." She places the remote on the dresser next to the TV and turns back around to continue petting her distraught friends, running her fingers through their hair and massaging their scalps with her little fingertips.

Soon there's a knock on the door and Max goes to collect the three breakfasts and coffees she ordered, then escorts the tray of food and beverages to her bed and passes everything out. The girls eat and drink in silence, Max watching Chloe slowly improve from the hopeless guilt that had gripped her, but something seems to keep Rachel looking disturbed and distant.

"So, do you two want to go shower?" Max asks with a delicate tone once breakfast is finished. "I know you may not feel like doing the chore now, but you don't want to feel gross all day. And maybe some hot water will help you feel better."

Rachel offers Max a soft smile and slowly pushes herself to her feet, gripping Chloe's arms and pulling gently upward. "Come on, Blue. Max will give us more hugs today if we're clean."

After Max watches the two slowly walk into the bathroom she stands up and heads to the sliding glass door, letting herself out to the balcony to feel the cold, crisp morning air on her bare arms and feet. She ponders as she watches the grey clouds slowly wander the skies.

 _Well, I don't need to worry about making Plan B anymore… but this isn't an improvement. How can I explain the writing on my arm and the letter to Chloe now? She'll know I gave David that note. She'll know my actions led to his death. How will she feel about me then? And what's going on with Rachel? She did seem really into Mark Jefferson when I first met them. Maybe she was having student teacher fantasies about him and now she feels disgusted with herself after learning what he is. I need to figure it out if I want to help her get through this._

Her cell phone rings as she's thinking and when she sees it's her mom Max answers. Vanessa knows that Max is in Portland, but when she heard the news she couldn't help but be a mother and worry about her little girl. Max lets her know the three of them are OK, at least physically, and asks for some motherly advice on how to help Chloe and Rachel get through the day. When she hears the two girls exit the bathroom to rummage around their suitcases for clothes she concludes the call and steps back into the room.

"I was just talking to my mom, and she said the best therapy for us right now is to stick together and find a happy environment to be in. So, you two should call your moms and talk a bit, and I'll see what I can find for us." Max offers her best comforting smile as she speaks to her friends, receiving a small smile from Rachel and just a nod from Chloe.

While Chloe and Rachel spend some time talking on their cell phones Max searches the net on hers, looking through her options. In about fifteen minutes Rachel finishes her call and sits with Max to help brainstorm, ruling out some of the options and adding some ideas. After another twenty minutes a tearful Chloe finishes her call, but doesn't seem interested in anything other than moping in the hotel. It takes time, but Max and Rachel finally sell Chloe on the idea of just going for a walk through downtown Portland with no aim or destination, just to get out of the room.

The girls make their way south from the hotel and find all the major shopping venues to browse through, spending the remainder of the morning walking around in Nordstrom, Banana Republic and Mario's. Rachel has another one of her SoCal cravings around the lunch hour, so they all head east to find their way to Chipotle Mexican Grill. The food cheers her up, but Rachel still randomly becomes quiet and distant, and the recovering Chloe joins Max in wondering what's going on with her.

After lunch the girls find more retail across the street, visiting The Fossil Cartel, Tiffany & Co, H&M and Forever 21, but soon all the window shopping starts to become boring, especially to Chloe. After searching the local area on their phones Max discovers the perfect venue for them and leads the other two to Glowing Greens. The indoor pirate-themed mini-golf course is in a basement and lit by black lights, all the structures and golf balls glowing bright, neon colors. During their golf round Max channels her childhood persona, Pirate Captain Calico Max, and that really does the trick to put a genuine smile back on Chloe's face.

After burning the afternoon away with shopping and mini-golf the three of them start thinking about dinner. Their eyes need some time to adjust to the real world again after being in the black lit basement for a couple hours, and in that moment Rachel spots the Veggie Grill across the street. So, they decide to go cruelty free and enjoy a healthy, vegan dinner. It begins raining while they eat, so on the way back to the hotel Max gratefully huddles under Rachel's umbrella with her while Chloe just pulls her beanie down and stuffs her hands in her pockets to deal with the rain like a true Oregonian.

"Well, I gotta admit, that mini-golf was hella cool." Chloe shows her gratitude as they arrive back at the hotel room. "Thanks for saving me from a day of sitting in bed and doing nothing, Super Max." She tosses her soaked beanie and jacket on the floor next to her suitcase.

"Of course." Max responds with a warm tone and smile. "Anything for you." She looks to the floor and blushes after letting her loving feelings for Chloe slip through a little.

Chloe wrinkles her face up in an awkward smile as she looks Max over, then shakes her head and strolls over to the side of her bed to take a seat. "Don't get all weird about it. I appreciate the effort, though." Her eyes shift to Rachel. "But, speaking of being weird, what's up with you, Rach? You've been keeping something from us today."

As Rachel is putting her umbrella and coat down she's caught, staring at Chloe like a deer in headlights. "Uh… have I?"

Max moves to sit just to the right of Chloe, each of them facing the bed that Max has been sleeping in. "Yeah, Rachel, it's been pretty obvious. Ever since you saw the news this morning you've been really… inside yourself. We can't help you if you don't tell us what's bothering you. Would you like to sit and talk it out?" She gestures her hand toward her own bed.

Rachel hesitates and fidgets, then slowly makes her way to sit where Max sleeps, her worried eyes bouncing between the two girls in front of her. "I don't know if I should."

"Come on, Rach. My step…" Chloe catches herself before saying douche. "Stepfather died today. I'm dealing with it. Whatever's going on with you, it can't be that bad. Just tell us and we'll help you get through it."

Max reaches behind Chloe to rub her back, proud of her for saying stepfather, but her caring eyes remain on Rachel. "You don't have to, but we can't help you if you don't open up to us. Please, let us help you."

Rachel sighs heavily and casts her worried eyes down at the two pairs of shoes worn by the girls sitting across from her. "Alright. I'll just come out and tell all. Please try not to freak out on me." Her apologetic eyes rise to meet Chloe's. "I'm sorry, Chloe."

Chloe leans forward to rest her elbows on her knees and watch Rachel more closely, her expression confused and growing very concerned. "What? Why?"

"The reason that news story disturbed me so deeply is because… I've been sleeping with Mark Jefferson." Rachel casts her face down at her knees in shame after she admits it.

 _Oh, gross. I knew it the moment I met them. I hoped it wasn't true, but I could feel it. This is so bad…_ Max panics internally as she watches Chloe's face contort from the pain of betrayal.

"You cheated on me?" Chloe leans back and rubs her thighs through her shredded jeans as she tries to breathe through the pain. "How long? How fucking long!?" She can't keep from raising her voice.

"With him? Only the last couple of weeks." Rachel speaks quietly, barely able to look up past Max or Chloe's shoes.

Chloe runs the words in her mind several times before issuing her agitated demand. "What the fuck do you mean, with him? Were there others? Who have you been fucking behind my back, Rachel!?"

Rachel leans back to sit more upright, but her shoulders slump and arms fold up in her lap to nervously rub at her inner thighs. Her eyes tear up and she struggles to give her confession. "Frank Bowers over the fall and winter. A few guys from the Vortex Club, but those were just hookups."

"Hookups!?" Chloe is almost screamingly angry now, standing up and throwing her hands out as she yells at Rachel. "That doesn't make it any better! You're a fucking whore, Rachel!"

"Chloe…" Max reaches up with her left hand to try and pull Chloe back, but her arm is just slapped away.

"Why are you sleeping with all these guys? I thought you loved me, Rachel! Don't I mean anything to you? Or are a bunch of dicks more important to you?"

"Of course I love you, Chloe!" Rachel's voice rises as well, though hers is purely filled with sorrow and regret. "But I can't help what I am. Chloe, I'm straight."

"Wh…" Chloe steps back and almost falls onto the bed as she huffs a few breaths, so much confusion and pain swirling inside her. Her volume lowers but the hurt in her voice elevates to replace it. "What are you saying, Rachel? You were just pretending with me this whole time? Why? How could you do this to me?"

Rachel reaches up to wipe the tears out from under her eyes as she sniffs and clears her throat. "When I turned sixteen and you wanted to get involved, I was so scared to say no. I didn't want to lose my new best friend. I was afraid you'd try to kill yourself again."

"Tssshh!" Chloe gives a shocked and exasperated expression as she gestures toward Max sitting next to her.

Rachel shakes her head. "I already told her."

Chloe sends a horrified look down at Max and clutches at her tank-top, suddenly feeling so naked in realizing that Max knows about the suicide attempt. Her eyes shift back to Rachel and fury starts to bubble up anew. "You fucking told her!? You promised me, Rachel! That was our secret forever! You were my Angel!"

"I still am, Chloe! Everything I did was to protect you! I've done everything I could to keep you safe and happy all this time because I love you… but I'm not IN love with you. I can't settle down and spend the rest of my life with a girl. It has to be with a man. But it's OK now, because I've found someone who really is in love with you and wants to spend the rest of her life with you." Rachel stands and slowly steps toward Chloe, reaching out for her. "Chloe, Max is…"

The crisp sound of Chloe's right palm firmly slapping into Rachel's cheek cracks through the room. The slap is so surprising and hard that it knocks Rachel back into sitting on Max's bed, the girl gasping and reaching up to cup her left cheek as she trembles there, her eyes and mouth wide with shock. Chloe had heard the slap and felt the sting on her palm before registering that she swung her arm around, just as surprised as the other two. Something had just snapped in her after a day of learning her stepfather died, her most shameful secret had been shared without her permission, and her girlfriend is both straight and cheating on her.

"Rachel!" Max cries out, shoving off the bed and moving around Chloe to slide in next to Rachel and hold her protectively. She casts a disappointed look up at Chloe. "Violence is never the answer!"

A flash of remorse peeks through all of Chloe's pain and anger, but it's too late. The teen doesn't know what to do in this situation other than apologize, and she's in far too dark a mood for that, so her flight mechanism fires.

"I'm fucking done with this shit! I'm outta here, and don't try to stop me from leaving!" Chloe yells over her shoulder as she hastily fetches all her belongings and stuffs them into her suitcase.

Max continues to hold Rachel for the moment, but she protests. "Chloe, no, you can't end it like this! Please don't leave! Where will you even go?"

"Away from you two. Just fucking drop it, Max. You don't want to talk to me right now." Chloe quiets down and her tone darkens as her mind defends itself from all the pain, replacing it with more and more anger.

Max pushes off the bed and chases Chloe as she hauls her suitcase out of the hotel room and starts marching down the hall to push the button and wait for the elevator. "Chloe, wait! I still need to explain the writing on my arm, and my behavior… you need to know the truth! Please, at least call me when you get wherever you're going."

Shrouded in the darkness of hatred over what she's suffered today, Chloe can't help herself. Max just set herself up perfectly. She turns her piercing, deadly gaze to the little brunette and speaks with enough venom to kill. "Of course… we're best friends forever."

Hearing the words attached to her deepest regret used against her strikes Max like a bullet, the girl curling her arms over her stomach and crumpling to her knees. She watches Chloe disappear into the elevator and descend to the lobby. "Aaaauuuugh!" She screams out in pain as she collapses to the left, her shoulder and head thumping into the wall. "Chloe… why?"

Rachel emerges from the hotel room a few minutes later to investigate and spots Max crumpled against the wall sobbing. "Max!" She rushes over to kneel behind the girl and wraps her up, pulling Max into her lap and cradling her head. "Are you OK?"

Max just shakes her head. It takes a few minutes of cradling her and brushing her hair before Rachel can will Max to her feet long enough to make the short trek back into the hotel room. They sit on the foot of Max's bed and lean into each other for a while, just crying over their loss. But, eventually the tears run out and the emotionally drained teens decide to take turns getting ready for bed.

After brushing, flossing and changing into her night shorts, Max sits in her bed chronicling both the pleasant and the painful memories of the day in her journal. Rachel spends some time on her phone trying to contact Chloe only to realize that her cell phone is turned off. She tries calling Joyce to ask if she had heard from Chloe, which she hadn't. So, Rachel simply warns her that there was a fight and Chloe left, and she might turn up home later that night.

The lights are all turned off and all the pillows are transported to the bed Chloe and Rachel had been using. Max cozies herself into the pillow nest while she sets the TV on to some old movie to softly light the room, though it's muted. Rachel has her t-shirt and panties on from the day and she curls up into Max's right side, wrapping her arms around the girl and using Max's little breasts as a pillow.

"I'm so sorry about this evening. I screwed up your road trip." Rachel sounds like she's still on the verge of tears.

Max reaches up to gently brush her fingers through that three toned silky hair. "It's OK, Rachel. I mean, it's not OK to sleep around. You should never do that again. But, I forgive you for this evening. I'm proud of you for being brave and telling the truth."

"Thank you." Rachel utters just over a whisper as she gives Max a little squeeze. "You're such a sweetheart. I'll never get myself into that situation again. I hate lying to people, especially ones I care about."

"Yeah, I have a hard time with that, too." Max sighs as she thinks about the letter from future Max for a moment. "So, is your face OK? Has Chloe ever… become violent before?"

"What? No, of course not." Rachel almost seems offended that Max would even think such a thing. "I've lied to her so many times. I never gave her a reason to be that angry with me before. But, she's not that kind of person. She isn't violent. I've never seen her hit anyone before. I'm pretty sure that was a one-time thing. And I'm fine, it was just a slap."

"That's good." Max stares at the silent TV for a minute before speaking again. "Do you think she drove all the way back to Arcadia Bay?"

Rachel takes a while to respond, sounding very sad and defeated when she does. "I really don't know. I hope she went home. I hope she's not going somewhere to… end it."

"No, Rachel, don't think like that." Max wraps both her arms around Rachel to rub and comfort her. "She packed all her things. You don't need that stuff to commit suicide. She went home, OK? Don't worry about her. Just think about what we're going to do tomorrow, if we want to stay here or end the trip."

Rachel stares at the TV for a while as she considers it. "I think we should stay here tomorrow, at least until lunch. Just in case she's still in Portland… in case she comes back. Then we'll figure out what to do next."

"OK, Rachel. We'll do that." Max leans her head back to think before sleep claims them.

 _I reassured her, but I can't help but worry, too. What if Chloe does kill herself over this? Or what if she went home and hates both of us forever? I can't believe how screwed up everything became today. Please, God, if you're real and you can hear me… keep Chloe safe tonight._


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

The buzz and chirp of her phone letting her know she just received a text wakes Max up. Her eyes open wide and she immediately thinks of Chloe, shifting in bed to reach for her phone and checking the text. It's from her father, wishing her well and inviting her to call him any time of day if she needs to talk. It's sweet and makes her smile, but her heart still feels low and heavy as she looks around the room, Chloe's absence weighing upon her.

Her eyes drift to the clock to see it's just after eight, then down to see Rachel resting beside her. Rachel is on her left side snoozing on the pile of pillows, and Max can feel the girl's right leg resting on her lap. She slowly pushes the sheets off to see the dragon tattooed leg resting upon her. All the lightly tanned flesh looks so pristine from the cute foot all the way up to the thigh, except for an obvious jagged white line on Rachel's right knee. Max traces her fingertips over it softly.

 _Rachel's scar from saving Chloe's life. It may as well be a medal of honor. She may have really screwed up her timing and how she told Chloe the truth, but I can't hate this girl for ruining the road trip. If it weren't for her there wouldn't have been a Chloe to visit, and this trip would have never happened. Don't worry, Rachel. I'll find a way to take care of everything… somehow. Even if it takes until October and I need my future self to cheat a few times._

Max pushes out from under Rachel's leg, which wakes the girl up. As Rachel sprawls out and stretches her limbs with cute groaning sounds Max smiles down at her, then twists away. She fetches a bottle of water to hydrate and uses the restroom, and when she comes back out she finds Rachel sitting up against the pillows casting a sullen expression down at her phone. It seems she was also hoping for a sign from Chloe, but also struck out.

"Why don't you take first shower, Rach? I'll call Joyce and see if Chloe is there." Max tries to sound encouraging, wanting to avoid crawling back into the pit of despair from the previous night.

Rachel rolls out of bed and walks into Max to give her a hug. "Good luck, Max. Remember, Joyce just lost her husband, so she needs support, too. Don't just call asking about Chloe." She slips around Max and fetches an outfit, then goes into the bathroom to shower.

Max nods in agreement and heads over to the far edge of the bed to look out of the sliding glass door as she makes the call. She can feel the armies of despair lining up their siege around her heart, waiting for the signal to attack if Chloe can't be located.

"Hello, this is Joyce." The woman sighs the words out, clearly drained from the last twenty four hours.

"Joyce, hi. It's Max Caulfield. How are you holding up?" Max does her best to be supportive, her toes curling and free hand tugging on the bed sheets as she desperately wants to ask about Chloe.

"Oh, hello Max." Joyce sounds a bit happier at finding out who it is. "I'm… survivin'. This ain't my first rodeo, unfortunately."

"Ugh, I know. I'm so sorry you have to go through this again… you're such a wonderful lady and you never deserved to deal with it the first time around." Max conveys her sympathies.

"Well, thank you for that, Max. You always know just what to say." Joyce pauses, and just by the way she breathes Max can feel the woman's smile. "You're the one Chloe ought to be callin' Angel."

So relieved that Joyce brought her up first, Max can't help herself but to ask about the girl. "Thank you, Joyce. I do my best to help everyone I can. But, speaking of Chloe, is she there?" Max tries not to sound worried, but it comes through anyway.

Joyce lets out a little chuckle. "You can relax, darlin', Chloe's here and safe. She arrived late last night and told me all about her fight with Rachel. She ended up fallin' asleep on me at the end of the night. Oh… that brought me back five years. I'm sorry yall had to go through that last night, but seein' Chloe again was just what I needed after… what happened."

Max is silent for a few moments as she just places her hand over her heart and looks to the ceiling, thanking the Lord that Chloe is safe. "I'm so glad to hear Chloe is OK. But, about what happened… I'm so sorry, but can I ask? I'm still so confused. How did David die?"

Joyce lets out a heavy sigh as she has to go over the information. "Someone left an anonymous tip for him in our mailbox about Mark Jefferson and Nathan Prescott using that barn for their crimes. He got up before dawn and left while I was still asleep, and when he got there apparently Mark Jefferson was already under the barn. David called the police, but then he went in alone to try and prevent Mark from destroyin' any evidence. Mark… shot him to death."

"Oh my God, Joyce… I'm sorry." Max feels the claws of guilt wrapping around her heart again, squeezing tighter than before as she imagines the awful ending to a life that her actions caused.

"I am, too." Joyce remains silent for a time, ending the silence by sniffling. "But I'll get through it, Max. What about you two, are you gonna be OK in Portland?"

Max is fine with accepting the topic hop, knowing how hard it must be for Joyce to discuss David right now. "We'll be OK, Joyce. We just don't really know what to do now. Should we stay here for the rest of the week, or do you want us to come back to Arcadia Bay and spend some time with you?"

"Now now, don't you be endin' your road trip on account of me." Determination and grit power through the southern woman's pains. "I've been waitin' four years for you to reunite with my little girl and I'll be damned if I step between you two now, no matter my grief. I'll spend the mornin' with Chloe, but right after lunch I'm sendin' her back to you. I want you kids to enjoy your last few days in Portland. Just promise me one thing."

"Of course, Joyce. What is it?" Max sounds so ready to do anything to help Joyce cope with her loss.

"You need to get Chloe and Rachel to bury the hatchet and stay friends. If they drift apart now they'll always regret it. And come back on Friday night. David's funeral will be on Saturday, and I want you girls to give him a proper goodbye."

"That definitely counts as two things, Joyce. But I promise I'll do my best with both. One way or the other, we'll all attend that funeral." Max can't help but wonder how difficult a task that might be, and if she might have promised something she can't deliver.

"Thank you, Max. I can hear Chloe stompin' around upstairs, so I'm gonna make her some breakfast now that she's awake. You girls find somethin' nice to do till she gets back to you."

"Aw, now I'm jealous. I have to eat hotel food for breakfast." Max gives her best effort to put a smile on Joyce's face. "And we will. Take care, Joyce. We'll see you soon."

After the call Max just stares out the window, watching a group of crows fly around trying to decide which tree is the best one to perch in. When Rachel steps out of the bathroom with her hair and makeup all done up, looking like a proper model, Max tells her the whole conversation. Rachel's so happy and relieved to hear that Chloe is alright, though seems worried when she's told Chloe will be back later in the afternoon. Max assures her everything will turn out alright, then collects one of her last two clean outfits and steps into the shower.

 _I hope I didn't bite off more than I can chew. I don't have any experience with this kind of thing. How am I supposed to mediate a lover's quarrel when I've never even had a proper lover before? Actually, I should probably call this what it is… a bad breakup. There's no way they stay together after this. Rachel admitted she's straight. It's over. Should I tell Chloe I love her now? Rachel was trying to before she was slapped… but is it too soon to tell her? I wish I had those time powers right about now._

Max exits the bathroom in her white shirt with pink and light blue flower graphics all over it, and a pair of faded blue jeans. She slings her favorite grey hoodie on and tucks her little feet into her shoes, then moves her last pair of clean clothes into a drawer so she can take her suitcase of used clothes out for laundering, and even lets Rachel stuff some of her things in as well. After strapping her photography satchel on she's ready to go.

Rachel has chosen a pair of white jeans with large areas ripped out to show her knees, and a black shirt with a large white logo on the front of Abraham Lincoln drawn as a punk rocker. She slips into her Converse and her red and black plaid long sleeve shirt, and makes sure to attach her trusty umbrella to her belt loop before grabbing her purse and stepping out with Max.

The two figure out the laundry situation down at the lobby, then head to breakfast to figure out their plans for the morning and early afternoon. As they eat and discuss options the two agree on museums, since Chloe isn't present and never showed much interest in such things. After finishing breakfast and forming a plan they head out.

Since they have no car they have to take the MAX line down to City Hall, then walk a few blocks to find the Oregon Historical Society. They arrive just after 10am, when it opens, and spend a couple hours going through all the exhibits and murals to learn all about Portland and Oregon history. The quiet is soothing and the educational material a good distraction away from the previous day's troubles. After browsing the gift shop the two of them search for a nearby lunch spot and decide to try Raven & Rose, walking a block to the British and Irish inspired eatery.

"So, Rachel." Max braves a question that's been on her mind all day as she works on her Shepherd's Pie. "If you're straight, does that mean that all this time with Chloe, you've been… faking orgasms?"

Rachel laughs as she works on her Fish & Chips. "No, Max. I told you, I'm pretty open minded. I can enjoy sex with girls just as much, that's all physical stuff. It's just that, deep in my heart, I know I want to spend my life with a man. But, don't you worry about Chloe's skills. She's a total boss in the bedroom. I never had to fake anything with her. And now that she's going to be single again, you'll see for yourself soon enough. I've got a feeling about that."

Max blushes furiously as Rachel offers her a playful wink and smirk with the prediction. "Um… I mean, I hope so, I guess. Maybe not too soon, though. It's been a crazy week. Do you think I should try to take that step with her before I fly back to Seattle?"

"Don't try to plan out when your first time with Chloe will be. Just tell her how you feel when she gets here, and let the relationship build organically. At some point there will be like… this totally clutch moment when everything falls into place. And then, it'll just happen." She offers a supportive smile, though it's obvious to Max that she's still anxious and worried about seeing Chloe later.

"Thanks, Rachel. I think I'll take that advice." And as she considers Rachel's feelings on all this she comes to a realization. "Wait… when you were yelling at me about Chloe's suicide attempt, after I told you I had been crushing on her since I was thirteen and still have those feelings for her today, you totally changed lenses. Is that when you first decided you were going to tell Chloe the truth?"

"Yeah." Rachel sends a crestfallen look down at her food for a few moments, before raising her hands up and cupping them into a bowl, as if she's holding something. "Chloe's heart is like this intricately detailed crystal flower, so beautiful yet so fragile. I've been carefully holding it for years, protecting it, waiting for the right person to give it to. I realized in that moment that it was you."

 _Oh, man. Now that I think about it, every time they became intimate it was always Chloe initiating. Chloe kissed Rachel. Chloe whispered into Rachel's ear suggesting sex. She's just been giving Chloe everything she wanted over the years, while keeping her own desires hidden. That must have been so hard._

"Are you sure you're OK with all of this?" Max sees the pain in Rachel's eyes as she pokes at her lunch. "I'd love to be with Chloe, but I don't want to hurt you in the process."

Rachel shakes her head and smiles as she tries not to let any tears escape. "It's too late to go back now. I hope you and Chloe find true love for each other, Max. I'm just worried that Chloe will never speak to me again. It would really hurt to lose her as a friend."

"Rachel…" Max takes a breath and builds herself up a little. "I'm not going to let that happen. When we go back to Arcadia Bay, you and Chloe will still be really good friends. I'll do everything I can to make sure of that."

The promising words are like a warm blanket, turning Rachel's tears of sorrow into ones of joy. "Thank you, Max. I really appreciate it." She carefully dabs at her tears with her napkin, trying not to smear her makeup.

The two of them switch to easier topics for the remainder of their lunch, then make their way out. A couple blocks away is the Portland Art Museum, and being such avid art buffs both Max and Rachel have been looking forward to going there all week. All the different cultures represented in the galleries and exhibits really cheer them up, even inspiring their artistic natures. They stay until 3pm, then decide it's best to head back to the hotel and wait for Chloe's arrival.

After picking up their clean clothes in the lobby, Max and Rachel head up to the hotel room and organize all their clothing while watching TV. The tension builds in the air like a fog as every minute ticks by, the girls knowing that Chloe could arrive at any moment, but not knowing what mood she'll be in. When everything is sorted out Max can feel the lump in her throat as she sits on the foot of the bed, her eyes on the TV but not at all paying attention to it.

 _I hate this. Not knowing when Chloe will get here, or if she's even coming. Just because Joyce wanted it doesn't mean it's going to happen. She could be sitting at the lighthouse in Arcadia Bay right now for all I know. Oh, Chloe, what are you feeling right now? I wish you'd call, or at least text. Maybe I should call her… no, I don't want to seem desperate or demanding. I just have to wait for her to be ready to see us again. This sucks._

The minutes just keep ticking by without any sign that Chloe is coming. As 4pm comes and goes Max and Rachel exchange sad, worried looks, but can't bring themselves to say anything. They just sit and watch the programs on TV with little interest. But, at 4:25 there are finally three firm thuds of a fist on the door. Max gasps and rockets off the bed to go peep through the door and see Chloe on the other side. She gives Rachel the signal, the two of them having worked out how to handle this ahead of time.

As the door swings open Chloe puts her hands on her hips above those dangling suspenders, adopting her wide, strong stance as she keeps her expression tough. She's wearing her usual getup of damaged blue jeans, black boots and jacket, dark blue beanie and a white punk-rock shirt. Her eyes meet Max's when the girl opens the door, and Chloe is immediately glad that it's her and not Rachel. A lot of emotions swirl through her expression as she looks at Max.

"Chloe." Max chokes the name out, that lump still very present in her throat as she tries to keep her emotions in check. "I'm so glad to see you."

Chloe peers over Max's shoulder and sees Rachel in the room, sitting on the foot of that bed watching them. Chloe presses her lips tightly together and looks away, her left hand rising and waving dismissively as she almost looks like she's about to leave. "No. No, I can't fucking deal with her right now. I only wanna talk to you, Max."

Max nods. "Of course, we expected that might be the case." She steps out of the hotel room and walks down toward the end of the hall, finding that cushioned seat tucked against the window she had used on Saturday night to write in her journal. "How's your mom doing?" She tries distracting Chloe away from thoughts of Rachel.

As Chloe reaches the end of the hall she just stands there, not feeling like sitting on the cushioned seat after being on the road for hours. "Yeah, she's hanging in there… but things are so fucked up in Arcadia Bay right now. Everyone's losing their shit over what happened."

"Yeah, I can imagine." Max sits on the cushion and folds her hands in her lap, staring down at the floor for a moment as she thinks of the people in Arcadia Bay. Then her eyes rise to Chloe and she just stares at her with hope and wonder, trying to will something positive from her.

Chloe catches the look and shifts uncomfortably from boot to boot and crossing her arms over her breasts. "Fine, I'll start. I'm sorry for the last thing I said to you… it was shitty and you know I didn't mean it. But let's skip the crap and get to the real question that matters… yeah, I heard what Rachel was saying about you. Is it true? Do you… have those kinds of feelings for me?" She sounds so worried, feeling very vulnerable on the topic of love.

Max gives a glowing smile and nods vigorously up at the blue haired teen. "Yes! Chloe, I'm in love with you!"

Chloe's face scrunches up and she shakes her head, backing away and turning to the right. "No, fuck you! That's bullshit! You've been back in my life for five days. How could you possibly be in love with me? Don't mess with my heart right now, Max, that's not fucking cool." She seems on the verge of tears as her heart refuses to open up to Max, the wounds from yesterday barely cauterized.

Max tenses from head to toe as she tries to bore through the painful rejection she received after admitting she loves Chloe, trying to understand the girl's perspective. "Chloe… not the last five days. Always. When I was thirteen you were my first crush. I was trying to work up the courage to tell you, but then your dad died. And then my parents took me away from you. But my heart never let you go."

Chloe watches Max with her worried expression, her lower lip trembling a little as she tries to fight back her fears and accept what she's being told. "You never let me go?"

Max shakes her head. "I can't tell you the story you joked about a few days ago, of how I lost my virginity. I've never done anything with anyone. I couldn't, because they weren't you. Chloe, you're all I've ever wanted."

As Chloe listens she reaches up to brush her wrist and forearm over her face to wipe away her first tears, sniffing as she questions Max. "Then why'd you drop me out of your life? Why didn't you call me from your new number in Seattle? I missed you so much…"

Max stands up. "I was just a stupid kid! I thought I was never going to see you again. It broke my heart, Chloe. I didn't know it would make you want to die… I'm so sorry!" She breaks down into sobbing as she braves stepping forward with her arms open, knowing full well what happened to Rachel and not caring if she suffers the same fate.

Chloe watches Max approach and decides to accept her embrace, raising her arms to curl around the little brunette's shoulders. "Max… why me? I don't deserve it."

Max slips her hands beneath Chloe's black leather jacket so she can feel the softness and warmth of the girl's body through the cotton shirt. "Everyone deserves to be loved. And you can't help what the heart wants. I want you in my life again, Chloe. I'll call you every day! Please… just give me a chance." She buries her face into Chloe's chest as she begs for the opportunity to be with her.

It takes a long ten seconds for Chloe to think over what she's been told, just leaning down to press her face into Max's light brown hair as she considers how to respond. "I want you in my life again, too. But I need to know this is for real, Max. You have to prove it to me."

Max gently nods and pulls her teary face back to peer up at Chloe. "Whatever I need to do… just tell me."

Chloe slides her hands down Max's arms and sides to hold her just above the hips, giving her such an affectionate and vulnerable look. "Kiss me, Max. Kiss me right now."

Max shifts her hands up to brush along Chloe's cheeks, burying her fingertips under all the wild blue tresses so she can properly cup the girl's face. She rises to her tippy toes and tilts her head to the right so she can press her lips into Chloe's without a moment's hesitation. The inexperienced teen does everything she can to prove her love for Chloe, sucking and plucking away to make cute kissing sounds each time their lips release. Max gives Chloe every ounce of passion she can muster.

Ten seconds of kissing pass before Chloe finally leans back to break the kiss and flutter her eyes open, staring down at Max with such a dreamy gaze. She lets a happy smile slowly creep onto her face as her hands slide around Max's lower back. She squeezes Max into her body, stomachs and breasts softly squishing into each other.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" Max asks just above a whisper with all her hopes as she gazes up at Chloe's shimmering blue eyes.

Chloe takes a breath as she wrinkles her brows with worry one last time, but her heart screams for Max after that kiss and she knows the feelings are true. "I'm all yours, Max."

Fireworks go off in Max's heart and she feels like her feet float right off the floor. Her arms squeeze around Chloe's body and she beams brightly up at her. "I want to hold your crystal flower heart in my hands and protect it forever."

Chloe forms a perplexed smile and shakes her head slowly. "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, you little weirdo. Maybe just stick to kissing me."

"OK, that works for me." Max grins, then closes her eyes and leans up to offer Chloe as many kisses as she desires.

Their hands roam all over each other's backs as they enjoy making out for the first time, spending a long few minutes basking in the warm sensations that wash over their bodies from all the tender affection. Soon the tears are dried and their fears melted away as the two girls accept each other fully, finishing with a bit of quiet cuddling.

Chloe slips her hands down to release Max, and Max follows suit only to feel one of her hands grasped. Chloe leads down the hallway and Max follows, smiling up at the blue haired beauty as she walks along.

"So, I kind of made a promise to your mom… and Rachel." Max admits.

"Jesus, you already wanna get married? We only just began!" Chloe jokes and nudges Max's shoulder with her own.

After giggling Max shakes her head. "No, not that. I promised to help you and Rachel patch things up. You know she never meant to hurt you, right?"

Chloe sighs and stares at the carpet as the two approach their hotel room. "Yeah, I get that a lot. People say they don't mean to hurt me, but it just keeps happening. Listen, I can't deal with her today. I need more time."

Max sends a sorry expression up at Chloe as she pulls her keycard out of her jeans. "Alright, Chloe. We'll try to deal with it tomorrow, then."

When the two enter the hotel room Chloe doesn't even want to speak with Rachel, so Max has to play translator to try and get any kind of conversation going. She recommends going out to a movie, since that doesn't require talking, and the other two seem fine with the idea. So, the three head out to watch a movie and have dinner, though the dinner is a bit overwhelming for Max as she tries to maintain two conversations with two girls that aren't speaking to each other.

After a stop at a gas station to buy more beer, the girls head back to the hotel room where Max convinces Chloe to at least share her marijuana with Rachel. So, like previous nights, the girls enjoy a bit of substance abuse while watching silly TV programs. Once Chloe is buzzed and a little high she accidentally talks to Rachel, and the girls enjoy a pleasant but brief exchange.

Max reminds everyone to brush and floss before bed, then changes into her night shorts only to realize the sleeping situation has to change. Rachel takes the bed Max had been sleeping in, and Max tucks in with Chloe. She happily snuggles with her new girlfriend and gives her a dozen goodnight kisses. Chloe's embrace fills Max with such joy and warmth that sleep comes very easily to her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Max feels all the warmth and softness surrounding her as she slowly comes to, her little body all wrapped around Chloe under the bed sheets. She smiles as that calm, content feeling that put her to sleep still floats around inside of her. The girl imagines herself in a serene grassy field with the sun shining down on her and Chloe to warm their skin, beautiful flowers blooming everywhere and birds singing lovely songs. She also feels that certain burning desire below her belly button, slowly creeping down toward her most sensitive area. Since her legs are already intertwined with Chloe's she squirms ever closer until she feels her lady bits press firmly against Chloe's right thigh through her panties and shorts, the intimate pressure exhilarating her. Max rubs her hand on Chloe's soft stomach and plays with the punk rocker's belly button stud as she plants a series of tender kisses along her new girlfriend's collarbone to wake her up.

As Chloe lies on her back she feels it all, that affectionate attention all over her, making her shift and hum quietly as she wakes. Without opening her eyes she greets her companion. "Morning Rach."

Just like that a volcano erupts and buries her serene grassy field in lava. Max tries to understand that these mistakes happen, that things changed so suddenly over the past two days, but pain still seeps into her. "It's Max…" She quietly corrects Chloe in a hurt tone.

Chloe's eyes shoot open all at once and she casts a look down at Max, then sighs. "Fuck." She curses herself in frustration over the error, her mind immediately trying to defend itself and blaming Max for tricking her into thinking she's Rachel. Conflicting thoughts of Rachel and Max don't mix well in her mind and just agitate her further, causing her to push Max away. "You got a few kisses and now you're all over me? Quit humping my leg. I don't go from friends to fucking in a day. If that's what you wanted you should have gone after Rachel, she's all about that kind of shit."

Those weren't the first words Rachel wanted to hear when she woke up, the girl rolling to her back and just silently staring at the ceiling as she takes the painful insult.

Max pushes herself up, sitting on her left cheek and thigh with her feet curled under her to the right. "Chloe… quit being so mean! We both care about you so much."

"Yeah? Then stop lying to me all the fucking time." Chloe shoves out of bed and marches over to the suitcases to rummage through her mess of belongings.

Guilt prevents Max from responding as she just sits there on the bed watching Chloe put together an outfit for the day and disappear into the bathroom. Her eyes go to Rachel and she pushes out of bed to sit on the other one, seeing the sad look on Rachel's face. She reaches down to just hold Rachel's hand and rub her arm as the two sit in silence for a few minutes.

 _I'm such a fool. I thought everything was fine. I let myself feel so happy like I had solved everything, but I really haven't. Chloe's still so angry with Rachel for keeping her sexuality a secret… and she's right about me. I've been lying to her since our first conversation a week ago. And tomorrow is Friday, when I have to tell her the truth about my letter from the future… and my part in David's death. Will Chloe be able to forgive me for what I've put her mother through? I told her I was in love with her and she said "fuck you"… she didn't believe me at first. And she never said the words back. Does she even care about me or is she just using me to avoid feeling lonely right now, or because her grieving mother asked her to come back and she didn't want to upset Joyce further? I can't take all this doubt and uncertainty. If today doesn't go well… I just want to go home._

"Max?" Rachel shifts to sit up beside Max, tilting her head to look at the girl with a worried expression. "Are you OK? You're making some scary faces right now."

Max just looks at Rachel and shakes her head.

"Hey, come on." Rachel scoots close and starts rubbing Max's back. "Chloe's going through a lot right now. Don't read too much into what just happened. Just leave her alone and let her sulk until after breakfast. Once she has food and caffeine in her she'll be a lot more reasonable. Then, we can…" She gazes around the room as she searches for a plan. "We'll tell her that today is her day. All three time slots. Whatever she wants to do, we're doing it. That should do the trick. Don't give up on me, Max."

Max leans into Rachel and takes a few deep breaths, then twists her face to smile at the girl. "Thank you, Rachel. I'm not used to all this drama. My life in Seattle is so calm and gentle. I don't know if I can make it through the weekend without having a total mental breakdown."

Rachel pulls Max close and plants a kiss on the girl's temple. "We'll get through it together."

The two girls quietly lean on each other until they hear the water stop running in the bathroom, signaling the end of Chloe's shower. Rachel goes to her suitcase to put together an outfit for the day and waits for Chloe to come out so she can take second shower, while Max collects her journal and props some pillows up to lean on as she writes down all that happened yesterday.

Chloe emerges from the bathroom in her quilt patched blue jeans with suspenders flopping about her thighs, and her black punk-rock shirt. She adjusts her bullet necklace and brushes her hands through her blue hair as she passes Rachel without looking at her, waiting for the girl to be in the bathroom before she speaks to Max. "Why are you always writing everything down?"

Max glances up as she writes in her journal, hesitating as she worries how her words might trigger more hostility. "I just want to remember everything that happens on this trip. Even the parts that hurt."

Chloe frowns and stoops to put her black boots on. "Oh boohoo, poor Max. You have so much to be hurt about. Of the three people here you've lost the least, so cut the pity seeking shit. You'll be fine." She stands up and looks around for her black jacket and a keycard.

As she puts her journal down Max shakes her head, casting her hurt eyes over the seemingly nonchalant Chloe. "Is this how you treat your girlfriends? I thought we moved past this last night. Was I just fooling myself?"

Chloe pauses to catch that hurt look and sighs, deflating a little as she stuffs her arms into the sleeves of her jacket. "You literally begged me for a chance with all your heart, Max. What was I supposed to do, say no? Look…" She takes a breath and steps closer to the bed, her face and tone finally showing some signs of softness. "I like you a lot, Max. I'm hella into the idea of dating you, but last night… we weren't being realistic. This isn't a fucking Disney movie. I'm going through a lot of shit right now, and it takes time to deal with… more time than we have. You're flying back to Seattle in three days, and I'm stuck in Arcadia Bay. You know that, right?"

Max shifts about uncomfortably on the bed, knowing full well what Chloe is saying to her and having no good argument to reason it away. "I know… but you'll graduate in June. Then maybe…"

"What, you want me to move to Seattle for you?" Chloe exhales a disgusted sound and shakes her head as she turns to move toward the door. "Yeah, remember what I said on the way here about moving to L.A. this summer with Rachel? I already got burned on the future plans thing. Not about to make any more plans with anyone right now. At least TRY to understand the shit I'm going through, Max."

Max just watches Chloe leave, having nothing to say, no logic or emotion that will defeat what Chloe just said. So, she just picks up her journal to try and finish her thoughts on yesterday, doing all she can to keep it together.

 _Oh man, she's right. She told me in that coffee shop in Eugene that she and Rachel had plans to move to L.A. after graduation. But I was so selfish… I ran off after she said it because it wasn't what I wanted to hear. All I've cared about this trip is what I want for Chloe's future. I never supported what she wanted. I need to rethink everything… I need a new strategy. A grand gesture like in the movies. I have to do something to prove to Chloe that I'm worth making future plans with._

Soon Rachel emerges from the bathroom and Max goes in to take her turn, once again feeling the zip of physical need down there as she washes. She contemplates and decides there's no chance Chloe's going to want to do anything sexual with her today after that conversation. It's agonizing for her to try and suppress the heartache of having her hopes crushed that morning just so she can relieve her carnal desires in the shower, but with enough focus she's able to do it. The rest of the time in the bathroom she spends thinking of romantic comedies and what grand gesture of love she might be able to pull off with Chloe.

Max comes out of the bathroom in her crisp white jeans and little purple belt, with her pink Jane Doe shirt up top. She sees Rachel waiting for her and doesn't blame the girl for staying rather than heading out to find Chloe by herself. After putting socks and shoes on and grabbing her grey hoodie, Max leads the way out of the hotel room and to the elevator.

They discover Chloe sitting on one of the big chairs in the waiting area of the lobby, link up with her by sight only, and wordlessly make their way into the dining area to order breakfast. Things remain quiet and awkward as they only speak their orders to the waitress and spend the rest of the time scrolling through info on their cell phones. After breakfast is nearly finished it's Rachel that breaks the silence, taking a risk and speaking directly to Chloe.

"I'd like to give my time to you today, Chloe. Whatever you want to do, I'm down. Or I'll just go do stuff on my own if you two would rather just spend the day together."

Max looks at Chloe, who doesn't respond verbally though her face definitely shows a range of emotions. So, Max makes her offer. "I want to give you my time, too. But only on the condition that Rachel stays with us. We're all supposed to be enjoying this road trip together."

Chloe sips at her coffee and looks between the two girls, then rolls her eyes and sighs. "Alright, fine, you win. I'll take the lead today and both of you get to chill with me. But no complaints about what I choose, Max. And I'm still mad at you, Rachel."

Rachel nods and replies very quietly. "I know." Then she just stares down at her lap.

"Wait, why would I complain?" Max can't help but be concerned, wondering just what she's getting herself into. "You don't plan to do anything super illegal, do you?"

Chloe can't help but give Max a mischievous grin at the question, leaning forward and placing her hands on the table as she speaks in a mysterious tone. "Oh, you'll just have to wait and see. And it's too late to back out, now."

Max sends an apprehensive look toward Rachel who just returns a soft smile and shrug, already having resigned herself to doing whatever it takes to begin earning Chloe's forgiveness. A series of knots form in Max's core as her imagination runs wild about what this punk-rock girl might ask her to participate in, watching Chloe work her phone for several minutes to find what she's looking for.

"Come on!" Chloe excitedly jumps up all of a sudden, startling the other two girls. "I'm gonna show you two how it's fucking done!" She twists and hustles down the lobby toward the parking lot, forcing the others to run after her to keep up.

Chloe drives them straight to the gas station to buy a six-pack of beer, which causes Max a world of worry, but Chloe promises they're for later and she doesn't drink right after breakfast. Then a short drive east takes them to the Burnside Skate Park. It's a community built skate park under the highway for anyone to come practice or show off their skater skills. Max is both shocked and relieved that Chloe just wants to hang out there for a while, feeling quite safe that nothing super illegal should take place.

The three girls sit up on a good perch to watch the whole park, a few skaters using it in the morning and more slowly coming in as time goes on. Max finds herself sitting in the middle with Chloe in one ear and Rachel in the other, each of them trying to teach her all the cool skater terms. She gets lost somewhere along the way but doesn't want to interrupt since Chloe and Rachel are sharing such positive vibes over their shared love of skateboarding.

It doesn't take long before three skater guys approach them, finding the three pretty young ladies an irresistible attraction at their local skate park. The curious local boys try their hand at flirting, which leads to them falling under Rachel's spell rather quickly, and the girl convinces two of them to relinquish their skateboards for a time.

Max is surprised to see how well Chloe and Rachel handle themselves, actually doing some real stunts and tricks as they zoom around the skate park. She jumps right up to start working her camera, taking the best pictures she can to capture this beautiful moment as the two set aside their relationship troubles and enjoy themselves. They stay until around noon, then thank the local boys for the boards and disappoint them by not agreeing to go out to lunch together.

For lunch, Chloe takes the three of them to Pine Street Market, a bustling food court with communal seating. The place is noisy but Chloe seems to thrive in the environment, taking a seat right in the center of the warehouse-like space. With food vendors all around there's plenty to choose from, but Chloe has an idea and tells the girls to wait while she runs off to fetch their lunch. She returns with a platter of hot wings and starts yelling that they're going to have an eating competition, drawing the attention of all the surrounding tables. Chloe isn't taking no for an answer and uses the crowd to rope Rachel and Max into the competition, getting everyone nearby riled up about it. When they begin Chloe is ravenous, out-eating her friends from the get go. Max can't stand all the hot sauce and falls behind, while Rachel is just too worried about ruining her makeup to keep up with Chloe. The blue haired punk wins and climbs on the table to pump her fists in the air, earning uproarious applause from the room.

After lunch, while the three sit in Chloe's truck enjoying a beer to wash down the hot wings, Chloe asks on their day without her. "So, what did you two do when I wasn't here?"

Max rubs at her hoodie and pink shirt, a little upset that she got sticky orange sauce all over them. "We checked out a few museums."

Chloe blinks at her for a moment, then laughs aloud and shakes her head. "Damn, you two are hella boring. What, school isn't enough, you gotta stand around learning shit on Spring Break? Lucky I came back to save your asses from more of that!"

"We really are lucky." Rachel responds. "Thank you for coming back to us, Chloe."

"Tck, quit kissing my ass." Chloe smirks over at Rachel, her demeanor toward the girl clearly improving. "But hey, it's almost 2pm. Hurry and finish your beers, we've got appointments!"

Max goes wide-eyed at the notion, watching Chloe chug the last of her beer. "Appointments? For what?"

Chloe just hops out of the truck and swallows, beckoning them along. "Just come on!"

Chloe leads the two girls to the other side of the parking lot and into a hair salon, where sure enough, all three of them have appointments. Chloe's faded blue hair is turning light purple and blonde at the roots, while Rachel's three tones aren't as vibrant as they once were, the two of them having their work done months ago. So they're both scheduled to redo their current looks, while Chloe insists that the stylist do something exciting for Max. The poor introvert is terrified as Chloe starts talking about a rainbow colored Mohawk, but soon reveals she's only teasing. In the end she convinces Max to have little red streaks put into her hair while leaving the rest its natural light brown. The end result makes Max feel so wild, never having dyed her hair before, and both Chloe and Rachel are highly supportive of her new look. But, Chloe promises she's not finished with Max yet, prompting a new wave of anxiety in the girl.

Max soon finds out what's in store for her as Chloe drives the group to Another State of Mind, a punk, goth & metal store. As soon as they're inside Chloe starts picking things out for Max to try, confiscating her hot wing sauce stained grey hoodie and pink Jane Doe shirt and not letting Max out of the changing room without picking something to buy and wear for the rest of the day. Virtually every article she's given by Chloe is black and has some form of skull on it. Max chooses a black hoodie with pink flower graphics all over the sleeves, and large skull patterns on the front and back with more pink flowers. To wear beneath it she picks a black tank-top with a yellowed skull on the front that has green brambles and roses wrapped around it and blue butterflies hovering about, oddly reminiscent of Chloe's sleeve tattoo. With her safe clothes still in Chloe's possession, Max has no choice but to leave the store in her new goth-punk clothes. The look on her face as Max emerges into public like that is wildly entertaining to Chloe, who decides she wants to walk the four blocks to their next destination, just to enjoy watching Max squirm more.

Chloe leads them to Cal Skate Skateboards, an obviously named skater shop. While Chloe and Rachel engage with the employees and share exciting skater stories, Max is free to slink into the corner and hide. She's still embarrassed by her look, even though none of the strangers know it's anything out of the ordinary for her. While Max is hiding in the corner she finds something that profoundly strikes her as the perfect thing she needs for later, sneaking up to the front to make a purchase and stuff the item in her photography satchel unbeknownst to Chloe and Rachel. Eventually those two finish all their story swapping and decide to each purchase a cool skater t-shirt before leaving.

With a little time to burn before dinner, Chloe escorts the girls east to the LGBT center of Portland. At finding the CC Slaughters Nightclub and The Fox & Hounds, a prominent gay club and gay bar in Portland, Chloe feels the urge to stop every passing stranger on the street and ask if they think she and Max would make a cute couple. It has Max blushing furiously most of the time, but she's relieved to hear the overwhelmingly positive reviews from the gay folk of Portland that are out on a Thursday evening. After half an hour of this Max feels much more comfortable in her new goth-punk attire, and about her feelings for Chloe, and wonders if somehow Chloe had planned this out.

Right across the street to the south is Hobo's Restaurant & Lounge, the gay-friendly dinner spot Chloe picks out for the three of them. They discover a warm atmosphere inside with a piano and fireplace, and while Max and Rachel can't order alcohol that doesn't stop Chloe from using her fake ID to make her evening more enjoyable. The service is slow and food average, but once Chloe has downed her cocktail she cares little for such things and announces to the room that she's responsible for turning Max gay. It earns laughs, but another table decides to challenge her to prove it, and with enough goading Chloe gets Max to stand up and make out with her in front of everyone. While thoroughly confused about the nature of her relationship with Chloe and where it's actually going based on mixed signals from the last 24 hours, Max decides not to complain and happily gives into the kisses.

As they're leaving the restaurant the very buzzed Chloe is definitely not finished yet, as she leads them onward to a mystery destination. One block south and two blocks east and they arrive at the White Stag building. Determined to get to the roof to stand under the historic White Stag sign, Chloe searches the building to find an entrance. All doors are locked, but to Max's shock and dismay Chloe produces a lock pick and begins working on one of the doors. She actually manages to break into the building and find a stairwell up to the roof, where there's a second door to pick to get to the roof. They enjoy an exciting but brief time on the roof, taking pictures of each other under the famous lit sign welcoming people to Portland, but then the police show up since the doors triggered a silent alarm. All three of them are almost arrested, but then the officers start talking about Chloe being the step-daughter of the Hero of Arcadia Bay, and decide to let her off the hook due to current circumstances.

The three of them are a bit stunned by what just transpired as they slowly walk west, checking their phones to see the latest news about Arcadia Bay. They learn that the full story has gone public now, and that David Madsen is being hailed as a local hero. It makes Chloe tear up, but Max and Rachel each take a side and hold onto Chloe, surrounding her with love and keeping her spirits up.

After walking a few blocks they arrive at Chloe's late night choice, Dante's. The award winning live music venue has a black interior and colorful lights, and is known for its loud rock shows. Once they're inside Chloe is immediately rocking out to the music, hardly interested in sitting anywhere. She just runs right up to the front of the stage to rock out only feet away from the band playing, and they don't seem to mind so Max and Rachel soon feel comfortable doing the same. Chloe orders another alcoholic beverage, while Max and Rachel order sodas to try and get some sugar in their systems to keep up with the blue haired cyborg that never seems to run out of juice. About an hour into their visit the band actually invites the girls on stage to dance for the audience for one song, everyone seeming to enjoy the energy the rambunctious teens have brought to their venue. But, eventually midnight rolls around and the exhausted Max and Rachel have to drag Chloe out of there to get her home. Rachel insists on driving once they get back to Chloe's truck, and they're able to safely make it back to the hotel room.

"Was that day awesomesauce, or what?" Chloe slurs a little from all the alcohol she had that day, one arm over Max who is escorting her to their bed.

"Yeah, that was probably the craziest day I've ever had. I've never dyed my hair, had a public eating competition, interviewed a bunch of gay people about how good of a match I am with another girl, made out with said girl in front of a bunch of strangers, almost got arrested for breaking and entering and trespassing, or rocked out on stage with a real band, and today I did all of those things." Max lets out a little grunt as she tosses Chloe on the bed, nearly collapsing herself.

Chloe grins up as she flops onto her back and comes to rest, pointing an index finger up at Max. "You're welcome, Maximum Overdrive. Now you know how it's done."

Max just smiles back and shakes her head, though she can't help but to sigh in relief that they made it back to the hotel safely after their wild adventure. "I'm surprised I didn't end up with a tattoo or piercing." She reaches down to tug on Chloe's clothes, helping the intoxicated girl out of them.

"Those things were on my list, but I had to nix em 'cause you're not eighteen." Chloe admits as she squirms out of her boots, jeans and shirt at Max's tugging.

Max giggles softly as she leaves Chloe in her bra and panties. "Glad I didn't wait till next year to do this, then!" She drops Chloe's things on her suitcase, then starts slipping out of her own clothes.

While Rachel busies herself with brushing, flossing and washing her makeup off in the bathroom, Max flops into bed to snuggle with Chloe in her own bra and panties, waiting her turn to use the sink. Chloe takes to petting Max's newly red streaked hair with one hand, while the other rubs over Max's soft tummy, almost tickling the girl.

"It would've been nice." Chloe speaks in a quiet, warm tone as all the alcohol in her system makes her feel very relaxed.

Max looks at her and blinks a few times. "What, getting me a tattoo or piercing?"

"No." Chloe shakes her head and takes a breath. "Us dating. Would've been nice."

As Max looks the girl over she adopts a concerned look. "What do you mean? We still can. Nothing's happened that will prevent us from doing that."

Chloe shakes her head again, leaving Max perplexed for a while before she speaks again. "Not now. A long time ago. Before all the bad shit happened."

Max finally realizes what Chloe's saying, unable to keep a forlorn look off her face as she thinks back on the past. "You mean when I was thirteen?"

Chloe offers a small smile and nod, then leans her face down to rest her cheek on Max's shoulder and push her freshly blue hair against Max's cheek. "Yeah. Last night you told me you had a crush on me back then. Well… you were my first crush back then, too. That's why I said yes to you last night." She offers a revelation in her drunken state she likely would not have otherwise. "If only I had the power to go back in time and change one thing… I'd have told you. Then, maybe you wouldn't have abandoned me…"

 _Oh my God… now it all makes sense. That's why she wanted to die when she never heard from me after I moved to Seattle. That stupid move caused us so much suffering… I caused us so much suffering. And now, such cruel irony, Chloe telling me she wishes she could go back in time and change something. If only she knew how hard that was… if only my future self knew how hard this is. I can't keep this in anymore. I have to tell her about the letter. I have to get this secret out of me!_

"Chloe…" Max begins, welling up with tears as her emotions overwhelm her, and preparing to give her speech. But, just as she opens her mouth to speak she's interrupted by the hot and grotesque sensation of Chloe throwing up all over her bra and stomach. "Auugh, fuck! What the fuck!?"

Max rolls out of bed and hits the ground with a series of thuds, then scrambles to her feet and prances through the room. "Oh, so gross!" She barges into the bathroom and tugs her bra and panties off as she moves past Rachel to jump into the shower and rinse all that vomit off as soon as possible.

Rachel runs out of the bathroom once she realizes what happened, towel in hand, and goes to aid Chloe in rising from the bed. "Damn it, Chloe, you shouldn't have gone hyphy tonight! Now look at you." She does her best to towel off the bed sheets and Chloe, then helps the drunken girl to the bathroom.

"Pffff, I'm fiiine." Chloe shrugs it off, leaning over the sink to rinse her face off, then just begins brushing her teeth like nothing major happened. "I got this." She slurs out past her toothbrush, Rachel barely able to understand it.

"Sure, dude, you just puked all over Max. You definitely got this." Rachel smirks and pats Chloe's back, staying with her just in case.

In a minute Max emerges from the shower and wraps herself in a towel, approaching Chloe to see how she's doing. It seems the punk-rock girl finally ran out of steam, and when she's finished brushing her teeth Rachel has to help her to bed. Max takes her turn brushing and flossing while gazing into the mirror, admiring the red streaks in her hair and wondering what her parents and friends in Seattle will think when they see her.

When Max comes out of the bathroom she sees Rachel rubbing the carpet with the towel, apparently having done her best to clean up every last bit that she can find. Chloe is resting in the closer bed that Rachel was going to use, and Max soon realizes they're switching beds because of the vomit making one position too gross to sleep in. So she collects a t-shirt and pair of night shorts from her suitcase and slips them on, then tosses her towel back in the bathroom to go flop down in bed next to Chloe, tucking the two of them in. Finally, Rachel shuts the lights off and takes the far side of the other bed to get some rest.

 _Well, that was crazy._ Max stares at the ceiling as Chloe falls asleep next to her, hoping the girl won't throw up again. _I hope Chloe's going to be OK. If she wakes up in a foul mood tomorrow it's going to be very dangerous for me to reveal the truth in that letter. And David Madsen is being called a hero now… will that help my case, or hurt it? And is Chloe cool with Rachel now, or do I still need to help with that? Ugh, so much to consider… too tired to think after all that. At least I found that perfect item for my grand gesture._


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Max wakes suddenly as she feels Chloe shifting about and throwing the sheets off, the blue haired girl groaning as she holds her head. Max just lifts her own head to watch carefully, still traumatized about how things went with Chloe the previous morning and not wanting to attract her attention. Chloe just goes to their pack of water bottles and gulps one down to rehydrate, then drops the plastic container on the floor and moseys into the bathroom. Max sighs in relief and rests her head back down on the pillow, frightened by a flash of red in her peripheral vision, but then remembering she has red streaks in her hair now.

 _Chloe must be hung over. That's just great… on the day I have to reveal my letter. And I don't feel so super myself. I never thought I'd feel like I needed a day off during a week off. I always used to be able to keep pace with Chloe… did I get lazy and fall out of shape? Could I even date her full time, or is my heart just being stupid and filling me with unrealistic fantasies? Even if we lived in the same city, she's so much more hardcore than me. David was right… these two are turning me into a hell-raiser. Oh, David… are you in heaven now, cursing me for stealing away your future, or do you forgive me? Will Chloe forgive me? Can I ever forgive myself?_

Max sits up and swings her feet out of bed when she hears Chloe open the door to exit the bathroom, her eyes glancing at the red digits of the clock to see it's almost 9:30. "Oh, wowser, we slept in a lot today. I don't know if I can handle partying this hard."

"Can't handle it? Come on, now." Chloe approaches and reaches her hands out to help yank Max out of bed. "You finally let your inner punk-rock girl out yesterday. I promised I'd be the hammer to break you out of your shell this week. Don't go crawling back to being Max the Quiet Wallflower after that epic day we just had."

A smile builds on Max's face as she's relieved to see that Chloe is in remarkably good spirits this morning despite her hangover. "Oh, are we making promises? If I promise not to go back to being a quiet wallflower, what will you promise me in return?"

Chloe twists her face to look sideways at Max for a moment, squinting through her smile as she holds the girl's hands. "I feel like this is a trap. How about… I promise not to barf all over you again?"

Max can't help but laugh before twisting away. "Well, that's a good start." She goes to her suitcase to put together an outfit.

Chloe walks around the bed closer to the sliding glass door and starts shoving Rachel. "Hey, Rach, wake up. Get your purse. I need one of your magic hangover cures."

As Max heads into the bathroom she can't help but smile that Chloe is willingly beginning conversations with Rachel now, even if it is to make rude demands. Progress is progress. While washing she thinks about her grand gesture, coming up with a secondary item that would be a perfect fit for the first.

 _Oh, yes, that would really complete it. I just need to get on my phone and search around, see if I can find one of those. There has to be one in Portland somewhere. But, that means I'll probably have to borrow Chloe's truck to go get it. Think, Max, there's gotta be a way. We're going to eat breakfast, then… I'll tell them about the letter. I should probably give them some time alone to discuss how they feel about me after that. And they still need to sit down one on one to discuss the future of their friendship, too. I guess that's my plan then. Shop while they think, get the second piece of my grand gesture, then… I just need to figure out the perfect time and place for it._

Max comes out of the bathroom in her white t-shirt with the cute doe graphic on it, and her faded blue jeans below. She sees Chloe and Rachel leaning their butts on the dresser that the TV is on, Rachel's purse behind them and Chloe drinking more water, presumably with Rachel's hangover cure mixed in.

"Don't even think about wearing your grey hoodie, Max. You wear that black one with the pink skull flowers on it, or else!" Chloe threatens playfully, while Rachel makes her way past Max with a bundle of clothes to step into the shower.

Max holds her hands up like she surrenders, slowly backing to her suitcase and pulling out the black hoodie. "Yes, Officer Price, please don't arrest me!"

Chloe grins and sips at her drink. "If my head didn't hurt I'd totally role play with you right now. But I'm usually the one getting frisked by the cops in that scenario." She winks.

Max blushes as she imagines what kind of naughty fun Chloe and Rachel must have had over the years, then shyly rubs her feet on the carpet as she thinks about what she might do with Chloe in the future. Her shy girl antics earn an amused chuckle from Chloe, so Max snaps herself out of it and fetches her journal. She props up the bed pillows to lean on and gets to work writing down all the crazy things that happened the day before.

"There you go again, Novelist Max Caulfield. Does this have something to do with the writing that was on your arm? The big secret you have to reveal today? You know we won't let you weasel out of that, right?" Chloe finishes her drink and moves to sit cross legged in front of Max.

"Yeah, kind of." Max admits as she considers everything, her eyes rising to watch Chloe rub her toes. Max pauses to admire her; all those pretty blue fingernails and toenails that match her hair, how beautiful the contrast is against her pale skin. "I was thinking of bringing you two back up here and telling you everything right after breakfast, if that works for you."

Chloe nods and smiles at that. "Fuck yeah that works! The sooner the better. I'm tired of waiting for this shit. It better be good, like, you have super powers or something. That would be so epic."

Max goes wide eyed for a second and swallows a lump in her throat. "Hehe, yeah, super powers would be so cool." She desperately searches for a new topic. "Actually, Chloe, I wanted to ask you something, if it's OK. When you weren't here that one day, Rachel called you 'strictly a lesbian'… is that accurate?"

Chloe scrunches up her nose, seeming agitated at first, grumbling before she responds. "I'm gonna have to fucking talk to her about that. I don't like her telling you shit about me behind my back. But, to answer your question… kinda. After Rachel…" Chloe pauses, struggling to even mention the event in passing. "Saved my life, there were seven months before she turned sixteen and I asked her to date me. So, I went through a boy toy phase during that time. It was just for shits and giggles, though. I never loved any of them, not like I did with Rachel… which has now blown up in my face. I don't know, Max… I don't really feel like being with anyone right now. Not until I get over Rachel."

Max feels really bad as she sees Chloe's mood drop during the response, immediately regretting asking the girl about it. "I'm so sorry, Chloe, I shouldn't have brought it up. I'm sure nobody would blame you if you wanted to be single for a while, but… I don't want you to feel alone ever again. Not after what I put you through four years ago."

Chloe wrinkles her brows in thought and rubs her head. "Ugh, fuck, that wasn't a dream, was it? I actually told you about my childhood crush on you last night, didn't I?" She sighs as she pulls up those alcohol addled memories.

"Yes." Max confirms it softly, her eyes glistening with moisture. "I totally understand now… why you wanted to kill yourself. I'm so sorry for what I put you through, Chloe. I'll always be there for you from now on, I promise. You have my cell number and you can call or text whenever you want. You don't even have to be nice to me. Just tell me what you need and I'll do all I can for you. I owe you so much after what I put you through. I'll owe you until you tell me I don't anymore."

Chloe just stares down at the bed sheets for half a minute as she rubs her toenails, a few tears slowly streaming down her cheeks. She sniffs and reaches up to rub the backs of her wrists along her cheeks, then twists to the side. "Thank you, Max." She whispers her response, but then rises to walk to the sliding glass door and makes her way to the balcony to be alone with her thoughts.

Max rubs the moisture out of her eyes as well, then goes back to writing in her journal to try and keep the sad thoughts out of her mind. She writes away as Rachel eventually comes out of the bathroom all done up and Chloe heads in to take third shower. Given her high level of empathy Rachel can sense the sadness in the air and sits with Max, asking what happened, and nods in understanding when she's told. She sits with Max and rubs her shoulder soothingly for a few minutes while the girl finishes writing in her journal, and when Chloe emerges they all put their shoes on and head down to the dining area to order breakfast.

"So, what's the plan for the day?" Rachel asks as they wait for the food to arrive, having missed the exchange Chloe and Max had while she was showering.

"Well, I have a plan." Max responds as she searches her phone relentlessly for the item she thought of this morning. "I'd like to borrow the keys to your truck, Chloe. That way, after breakfast, we can go back to the room and I'll tell you guys everything. Then, I can drive off and go get something that I need while you two discuss what I've told you, and maybe also talk about… your own stuff, if you both feel ready to get into that topic."

Chloe frowns and folds her arms over her breasts, not seeming too thrilled by the idea. "I'm starting to get the feeling that we're gonna be hella pissed at you over this, Max. Already trying to distract us with our own shit before you even tell us what you've done? Real smooth."

Rachel fidgets uncomfortably and starts playing with the thin silver bangles on her right wrist, but works up the courage to speak to Chloe on Max's behalf. "Well, I guess we'll just see how we feel after she tells us. Only Max knows how heavy the thing is that she's gonna tell us, so we've gotta give her the benefit of the doubt if she thinks she should bail after saying it. I think it's a good idea to let her borrow the truck so we can talk it over afterward."

Chloe lets out an exaggerated sigh and shrugs. "Fine, whatever."

There's an awkward silence as the three wait for breakfast to arrive, though Max continues to busy herself trying to find that specific item she needs for her grand gesture. She does eventually find what she's looking for while Rachel and Chloe talk about what time of day they should begin their drive back to Arcadia Bay. But, soon the food and coffee run out, and tension builds as the girls know the moment of truth is closing in. They take the elevator back up to the room and Max has Chloe and Rachel sit on the foot of the vomit free bed.

"Alright, this news is pretty extreme." Max begins as she rummages through her suitcase to find that letter hidden inside. "You won't believe me at first. I didn't believe it at first, not until I saw that writing on my arm that said 'It's real. Save Rachel and Chloe!' I hope you appreciate what I've done, even though it didn't all go according to plan."

After taking a deep, nervous breath, Max holds the letter up and recites it word for word in front of the other two. The first paragraph about the letter being from Max seven months in the future almost has the other two laughing, as they think it's a practical joke to lighten the mood before the real news. But, the second paragraph giving the exact dates of their deaths doesn't amuse them one bit. They remain skeptical of Max as she reads off her instructions about gluing the selfie in the binder and changing her Spring Break plans, and when Max reads about the warning note for David it infuriates Chloe. She demands that Max stop immediately, saying that the joke isn't funny, but Max persists and reads the paragraph written specifically to prove everything to Chloe. It silences Chloe, flooring both her and Rachel. Max doesn't understanding the references she's reading as she mentions the yellow elephant rug, customized poster and darts scores in the secret junkyard hideout she's never been to before, but the terrifying reality that this is no joke strikes the other girls hard. After reading the final paragraph about how her memory will be lost on October 15th, Max reaches forward to hand the letter to Chloe so she can reread it as many times as she wants.

"I'm so sorry about what happened to David. That wasn't supposed to happen. But, maybe in October my future self who wrote this will come back and change things to keep him from dying." Max pauses as she looks at the two stunned girls staring at the letter. "Yeah, I need to leave you two to absorb this. Call or text if you need to. I'll be back in around an hour."

Max picks up the keys to Chloe's truck and heads out, the silence behind her digging a pit into her stomach. She can't help but worry as she takes the elevator down, her mind coming up with all the ways Chloe and Rachel could respond negatively to what she just revealed to them.

Rachel reaches out to start rubbing Chloe's back, seeing how many conflicting emotions are swirling in her expression. "Chloe, Max is a total sweetheart. She wouldn't be so cruel as to make up a lie this heavy, right? This is real, right?"

Chloe pushes off the bed to begin pacing back and forth. "Shitballs, this is so insane! How could it be real? You can't travel through time! But how did she know? The coordinates of the barn, the code to get in the basement, the crimes that were being committed there, our secret hideout, all those details about what's inside it… there's no way Max could have researched that stuff from Seattle."

Rachel takes a few breaths as she folds her hands in her lap and looks down at the floor. "Jesus… I was supposed to die in less than three weeks from now. They took me, Chloe… they took me to that barn and killed me!" She reaches up to dig her fingers into her hair and starts pulling on handfuls. "I'm fucking freaking out!"

Chloe turns to aid the girl, dropping the letter on the bed and reaching down to pull Rachel into her arms. She gives Rachel a much needed squeeze. "It's OK now, Rach. Nathan and Jefferson can't hurt you anymore. Max saved you… she saved both of us." Her mind races as she tries to run scenarios through her head, imagining the way things would have gone and the way they will go now with the changes that have been made.

Rachel buries her face into Chloe's neck as she cries, unable to stop herself after being told the horrible way her life was going to end. Only after a few minutes is she able to speak again, though she keeps Chloe locked in a tight embrace. "What about David? He wasn't supposed to die in all of this. It's not fair to him… or to Joyce."

Chloe sighs deeply. "I don't know what to think about all of that. I'm hella pissed at Max for being so stupid. She should have just gone straight to the police. Why leave the tip for David to deal with? She got him killed… but apparently she might come back and fuck with time more to save his ass. I don't know, Rach. I'm just as fucked up about this as you are."

Silence dominates the room for several minutes before Rachel pulls out of the hug to look over the letter one more time. She sits back on the foot of that bed and shakes her head. "This would have been so horrible. I would have never made it to L.A. I would have never become a model or anything. I would have never told you the truth or found someone wonderful for you to be with. Oh, Chloe, you would have lost me so suddenly… you would have been all alone again. You would have been so sad. It's unbearable to think about!" She cups her face with both hands and begins sobbing where she sits.

Chloe crawls onto the bed and sits behind Rachel, spreading her legs around the girl and hugging her from behind to let Rachel lean back on her. She does her best to rub Rachel's stomach and soothe the girl, but she doesn't come up with much to say other than quietly shushing her. Chloe does her best to be strong and internalize her emotions, but tears continue to break free and roll down her cheeks as she imagines the cruel fates that had been in store for both of them.

Rachel leans her head back on Chloe's shoulder, drained after all her sobbing, her makeup a mess. She sniffs and clears her throat so she can share her thoughts. "Life can end at any time. You never know what day will be your last… or when it will be the last time you see someone. Chloe, I'm so sorry… I'll never lie to you again. Please don't hate me forever. I care about you so much!"

Chloe gives Rachel a tight squeeze and leans down to press her nose against the girl's ear. "I don't hate you, Rachel. I love you… that's why I was so hurt. I'm sorry I hit you. I'll never do it again."

Rachel slowly twists her face to look at Chloe, but Chloe doesn't pull hers away. The proximity of their faces mixes with all the emotions swirling between them and results in a kiss, meant to seal their forgiveness and acceptance of each other's faults. But one kiss turns to two, and then to five, and soon Rachel twists around to fall upon Chloe on that bed. Kissing escalates to groping, then to stripping, and then to sex as the teens desperately flee from the morbidity of learning the exact days they were supposed to die, while also realizing how precious every positive relationship is given the fleeting nature of life.

Max skips happily down the hallway, her photography satchel swinging around with one extra item in it, the girl so glad she was successful with her little shopping trip. She fetches the keycard from her jeans pocket and slides it into the reader to let herself into the hotel room. "And I'm back. That didn't take nearly as long as I…"

As Rachel and Chloe scramble out of bed naked to try and hide behind their clothes, pretending they didn't do what they just did, Max just freezes in shock and horror. She drops Chloe's keys to the floor as she meets the gaze of the blue haired girl, slowly shaking her head as her eyes well up.

 _Oh my God… this is a nightmare. I knew it. I never stood a chance. I should have never come here. I can't take this anymore! I just want to go home!_

"Max… it's not what it looks like!" Chloe frantically says the most cliché thing for the situation, a line that never works.

Max responds by turning and sprinting back to the door, then bolting back to the elevator. She jams the button frantically to summon it so she can leave before the others can get their clothes on and come out of the room to stop her. When the doors open she steps inside and pounds the lobby button until those doors close again. There, she breaks down, collapsing to the floor of the elevator and bawling as her young heart breaks, her ideas of a grand romantic gesture suddenly feel so stupid, and her dreams of a wonderful future with Chloe are shattered.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

The elevator reaches the lobby and the doors open to reveal people waiting to enter, who are startled and concerned at the sight of Max sitting inside crying. It forces her to rise and struggle past them, tugging away from their efforts to help her so she can run through the lobby to escape the misery this hotel has wrought. He cell phone rings and rings as she makes her way out into the street, so she removes it from her pocket to see Chloe's name on the screen. Max ignores the call and turns her phone off, then just picks a direction and runs.

Portland was so vibrant and beautiful before, but all the color and life from the place seems to have faded away. Where Max had seen bright paint and blooming spring flowers before, now she sees cracks in the walls and litter on the sidewalks. The harmonious songs of small birds have given way to the incessant cawing of agitated crows. Floral scents of spring blooms seem washed away by the rains overnight, leaving only the odor of car exhaust behind.

Crisp, cool air bites at her flesh as Max runs along the sidewalk, feeling as if the world is wilting and dying along with all her hopes and dreams. She had cheated fate and saved two lives, and it already took a new one in their stead, but is still one short. Ice flows through her veins as she feels the fingers of death on the back of her neck, reaching out to punish her for her theft. She runs through the red hand of crosswalks, ready to be struck down by a passing vehicle at every intersection, but death refuses to end her suffering. Eventually she runs out of streets to cross and finds herself at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, a railing and a river blocking her from running in that direction anymore. She stops to catch her breath as she grips the rail, watching the water slowly flow in front of her.

 _I'm so stupid. Why would I convince myself that I had a future with Chloe? She's so cool and fun now, and I'm such a dork. Of course she'd rather be with someone like Rachel, even if she is mostly straight. I'm sure Chloe convinced her to stay girlfriends until the end of the school year at least… God, what am I doing here? I was supposed to be in Seattle taking pictures with Kristen and Fernando. I should have just called the Arcadia Bay police and told them what was in the letter. I should have never flown down here. Nobody wants me in Oregon… this whole timeline is fucked! I'm sure my future self will just erase it and try again, so what does any of it matter now?_

The wind is harsher in the open channel of air the park and river create, whipping the teen with cold air and biting any exposed skin. After all the running she feels hot and sweaty at her core while the cool air and brisk wind have her face and limbs feeling too cold, the mixture uncomfortable and not helping her to feel better. As soon as Max catches her breath she stuffs her hands into her black hoodie's pockets and turns to walk north.

The people of Portland show their good nature and reach out to the distraught teen, several citizens interrupting their jogging or bicycling to ask if Max is alright or if she needs someone to talk to. She lies and tells each of them she just needs to walk it off and she'll be fine, but the gesture alone is enough to keep her on her feet. When a nice middle-aged lady gives her a hug it almost makes her smile in the moment, though afterward it just makes her miss her parents.

Her walk north eventually leads her to the Bill Naito Legacy Fountain where her eye for art stops her. All the crisscrossing bricks in the plaza and the many water spouts shooting over the stones make for some good pictures, and the young photographer can't help but put her broken heart aside to snap a few shots. After satisfying her creative side she heads to the waterfront to sit on one of the metal benches, staring out across the wide river at the view of the other side.

Max pulls her phone from her pocket as she sits there, turning it back on and seeing all kinds of missed calls and texts from Chloe, but she's not interested in those right now. She goes through her contacts to find her father and looks at the text he sent on Wednesday morning wishing her well and inviting her to call him any time of day if she needs to talk. She finally decides to take him up on that, tapping the call button and holding her phone to her ear.

"Hey there, kiddo." Ryan greets her in a happy tone. "You sure took your time checking in. You know it's been seven days since we last spoke, right?"

"Daddy…" Max immediately feels choked up by her sorrow as all the mishaps of the trip flood her mind at once. "I want to come home."

"Oh no." The first word is telling enough even without the rest, as Max doesn't call her father Daddy anymore unless something is very wrong. "Max, what happened?"

Max struggles with her words, wanting to tell him everything but knowing she has to omit the time travel parts of the story. She talks about her childhood crush on Chloe keeping her from having any steady boyfriends or girlfriends over the years, and how Chloe accidentally admitted she had a childhood crush on Max as well. She tells about the fight between Rachel and Chloe, how she thought everything was over between them, and the beautiful first kisses she shared with Chloe, where she thought everything was beginning for them. Then there was the harsh reality of Chloe not being fully over Rachel yet, and all of Max's plans to make a grand romantic gesture like in the movies to win Chloe over. Lastly, she tells of the spike to the heart, catching Chloe and Rachel in bed again.

"That's… a lot to take in, princess. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. Spring Break is supposed to be a happy vacation to get away from the stresses of life. If I had known this volatile love triangle was waiting for you down there I would have never put you on that plane." He sighs and pauses, feeling responsible for his daughter's pains and searches for a solution. "You have to answer one very important question, Max."

Max blinks a few times and hesitates before responding. "I… I do? What?" She can't help but feel apprehensive, not imagining anything easy is about to be asked of her.

"When you were eight you wanted a pony. Do you remember?" He has a calm and soothing tone as he suddenly shifts topics.

"Um… yeah." Max glances around, wondering how that could possibly be an important question to answer, or even be relevant to this situation.

"But, your mother and I didn't buy one for you." Ryan reminds her. "You had just read some old western book and wanted to be a cowgirl. You wanted a pony, a pistol, and a whole fancy outfit to channel a fiction that had thrilled you. Just like when you were ten and did that school project about the forest, then wanted to become some kind of park ranger or wilderness explorer, and again you wanted all these tools and outfits that would help you with your adventure. And when you were twelve you wanted to become a pirate and sail the high seas with Chloe after you two watched those Pirates of the Caribbean movies. That one stuck for a few years, so we did end up having to buy you some pirate themed things."

"Right, yeah, I remember all of that, dad. What are you trying to say?" Max lets him know how confused she is.

"Well, those were phases. Passing fancies that you wanted that year. But, when you were seven years old and you found my old Polaroid camera, you didn't want to become a photographer… you knew you were going to become a photographer. You've carried that camera everywhere, Max, and I'll bet you have it on you right now. Don't you?"

"Yeah… I do." Max admits.

"Then this is the one very important question you have to answer, Max. What is Chloe to you? Is she a cowgirl, a park ranger, a pirate, just some passing fancy that you want this year? Or… is she photography? Is Chloe a passion that you will carry with you for the rest of your life?"

Max lets the question sink in, all the way to the depths of her heart. She relates her feelings for Chloe with the familiar feelings she's had about that old western, the forest project, those pirate movies, and her cherished photography. When she realizes it she can't help but to start crying again. "She's my photography! I don't want her in my life… I need her in my life!"

"Then fight for her, Max! Vanessa didn't just fall into my lap one day. I had to fight for what I needed in my life. That's how love works. You just have to open up your heart and let everything out. Don't be afraid to get hurt. If you let fear hold you back you're going to miss your shot. Forget about the past, everything that happened before now is done. Forgive her of anything she's done wrong and ask her to do the same for you. Just focus on the future and make sure she knows how much you need her in yours. And you have to tell her before you fly back up here. Tell her face to face, so she can see it in your eyes and feel it in her heart."

Max sniffles and wipes her eyes as she hears her father out, and imagines saying those things to Chloe. "What if… she says no?"

Ryan sighs and takes a moment before responding. "What if she would have said yes? That's what you'll be asking yourself for the rest of your life if you don't try, kiddo. You have to try. There's no other path to take from here. Be brave, believe in yourself, and give it your best shot… that's all anyone can ever ask of you. If it doesn't work out then we'll get through it together when you fly home on Sunday. OK?"

 _Damn, this is such a difficult position to be in. My dad's right… I have to just pour my heart out and pray that Chloe accepts me. It's going to leave me so vulnerable, and it's going to hurt so much all at once if she rejects me. But if I just give up and run away then it'll hurt a little every day forever._

"OK. I'll do my best." She takes a few breaths, shivering from the cold and all her emotions overwhelming her body. "Thanks, dad. I love you."

"I love you, too, princess. Go win the love of your life." He speaks with such confidence in his daughter that it even bolsters her own opinion of her chances.

As soon as the call concludes Max taps and drags her thumb along her phone's screen to see that Chloe tried to call her eleven times since she left that hotel room. Then she taps into the series of text messages to finally read through them.

" _11:08am: Max, please answer your phone!"_

" _11:09am: Just let me explain, it's not what you think!"_

" _11:11am: I'm so sorry, give me a chance to tell you what happened."_

" _11:24am: OK, I see your phone is off, so here goes. Rachel and I were talking about life, cause of what your letter said. We realized it's dumb to stay mad at each other and were forgiving each other and some weird moment happened. It was a mistake… or goodbye sex… I don't fucking know what it was, but we're not getting back together. She's into dudes, remember? Just come back, let's talk about this."_

" _11:55am: We're still here in the hotel room. We're starting to get really worried about you. At least let us know you're alive. Please, Max. Rachel won't stop crying. She feels so bad."_

Max checks the time. It's 12:16pm, so she looks through her phone to find nearby restaurants for a place to eat lunch. She finds Lechon, a South American style restaurant that uses a wood-fired grill, just two blocks south of her, and decides it's the best choice. But, all she wants to give Chloe for now is a text, still thinking over how she's going to handle the conversation.

" _12:19pm: Meet me at Lechon in ten minutes. Let's talk over lunch."_

Max rises from the bench and slowly walks south, thinking about everything her father told her and everything in Chloe's texts as she makes her way to the restaurant.

 _Chloe says she isn't getting back together with Rachel. Rachel feels really bad about what she did. I have to tell Chloe face to face that my love for her is real, and prove it's not just some kid crush. But do I have to tell her right now? I have until Sunday… ugh, come on, Max. You have all the pieces you need to come out on top of this. Just figure out what order to put them in. This is the most important puzzle of your life… don't screw it up!_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Guacho, chimichurri, ceviche, chivito, so many words Max doesn't recognize. She has time to look over Lechon's menu since her ten minute timeframe was seemingly too short for Chloe and Rachel to make, the girls arriving in twenty. Max is just inside the door of the restaurant waiting for them, one hand in a hoodie pocket and the other holding that menu while she wonders if she chose a venue that's too exotic. When Chloe enters the restaurant and Rachel comes in right behind her, Max looks up with a blank expression. She keeps all her emotions in check as she watches the other two, wanting to see what mood they brought with them.

Chloe looks so worried as she enters and slowly approaches Max, her right hand fiddling with her bullet necklace as she looks over the girl. The stonewall response doesn't help her nerves, making Chloe swallow hard and gnaw on her lower lip as she considers what her first words will be. It's so uncharacteristic for her, always being so nonchalant and caring little for how her words and actions affect the world and people around her, but she clearly cares now.

Rachel tries to hide behind Chloe as well as her enormous SoCal style sunglasses, clearly ashamed of how her actions hurt Max. It's hard to tell if she's making eye contact behind those sunglasses, but she keeps her face low and shoulders slumped, trying to appear small. Her hands are folded in her lap and thumbs slowly circling each other to show her tension.

"Max…" Chloe breathes the name out, standing a few feet away from the girl stonewalling her. "Are you OK? You look so… emotionless. Do you want a hug?" She opens her arms as she stands there, giving a hopeful expression.

 _Of course I do! I would love a hug right now. It's been the shittiest morning ever… but I can't. I can't just let you off the hook like that, Chloe. Not this time._

Max presses her lips together tightly and shakes her head as she just stares Chloe down. She musters all her strength and just turns away from those waiting arms to approach the hostess of the restaurant. "My party of three is ready to be seated now, miss."

The woman can feel the tension, and while it definitely makes things awkward, she's a professional and is still able to put on a smile as she grabs three menus and escorts the girls to their seats. They're given a booth tucked against a brick wall with a view of an aquarium in the center of the restaurant. Max slips onto one side and sits right in the center of the booth, letting the other two know to sit across from her without saying anything to them. The suspense just builds and builds as Max keeps her feelings masked until the hostess excuses herself.

Chloe is just a mess, squirming and fidgeting as she watches Max. "Dude, please say something! Even if it's horrible, I just want to hear you speak, Max. Seriously, anything you want to talk about… the letter, David, me and Rachel… me and you?" She throws that last one in there hoping to tug at Max's heart, already knowing the girl loves her.

Max scrunches her face up into a scowl, seeing right through the manipulative tactic and not appreciating the cowardice one bit. She hisses through her teeth, a lot of intensity in her tone but with great effort to keep her volume low. "You fucked Rachel! After you said you two were done, and you said you were going to give me a chance… you said 'I'm all yours'! And while I was out shopping for a belated birthday present for you, you fucked Rachel!"

Chloe sinks back into the booth as her eyes start to glisten with moisture at the realization. "That's why you wanted to borrow my keys? You were… shopping for me? Jesus, Max… I fucked up so bad. I'm so sorry." She pushes forward to rest her hands and elbows on the table. "I never meant to hurt you! It was just that letter, learning how we were gonna die. That's some fucked up shit you dropped on us, Max. It really affected us. Especially Rachel. We were just forgiving each other and deciding to stay friends, just like you wanted, but then there was this moment…" Her eyes go down to the table as her mouth stays open, but she can't find the words fast enough.

Max glances over at Rachel, who has removed her sunglasses but only to dab a tissue under her eyes, crying over the upset she caused between Chloe and Max but staying out of the conversation. "Yeah, a moment where you realized you're still in love with her, Chloe! Just admit it!"

"No…" Chloe shakes her head and pushes her elbows off the table to lean back again, not feeling comfortable sitting in any position. "That's not what I felt when we did it. It felt like goodbye. Spoken by the body, not the mouth. It was… fuck! How do I explain it? Rachel, you might wanna fucking help out with this shit."

"Ah…" Rachel exhales a meek sound, then sniffles and sits up a little straighter as she looks at Max. "You watched our relationship end, Max… when I told Chloe the truth and she hit me. You promised you'd help us to stay friends after this trip is over, but how could we be friends? With that shitty ending hanging over us… it would've torn us apart. What we did this morning… it was all my fault, Max. I initiated it. Hate me all you want, that's fine. But it was just me saying goodbye to our romance the right way, killing that last ending and replacing it with something that would allow us to stay friends. Chloe and I are done now… we ended it the right way. I promise you, Max, I'm not gonna stand between you and Chloe." She jabs her index finger on the table top to emphasize her point.

Max shakes her head and huffs out a frustrated grunt as she glances between the two. "All these promises. How can I trust either of you after what you just did? I'm flying away on Sunday. It would be so easy for you to continue having sex and keeping it from me."

Chloe shakes her head and wipes the backs of her wrists over her eyes to clear the moisture away before it forms tears. "Max… Rachel and I talked it out in the last hour while we were waiting for you to respond. What we had is over. She was with me because she was afraid I would do something awful to myself otherwise, but I'm OK now. She doesn't have to put her natural urges aside to keep me happy anymore. She's back to being my best friend now, which means I'm totally single and we didn't lie to you or betray you on purpose… but I get it if you can't trust me anymore. I'd be hella pissed in your position. I don't know if I'd be able to forgive myself if I were you…"

The waiter approaches the table to greet the girls merrily and asks if they've been to Lechon before. He can see the upset on their faces and feels the tension in the air, but he has to give his first timer speech to them anyway, and tell them about the daily specials. Max wants to get the orders out of the way, so she just blurts out that she wants the Chicken Caesar Wrap. The others scramble to pick something out, Chloe deciding to try their Seafood Farro Bowl, and Rachel orders the Farmers Green Salad, none of them really knowing what to expect from the South American restaurant. Once the waiter excuses himself an awkward silence fills the air as Max stares the other two down.

"Alright…" Max takes a breath as she recalls what her father told her, softening her expression and warming her tone as she tries to make peace. "I didn't call Chloe when I landed in Seattle. I handled the note poorly and got David killed, and I'm so sorry about both of those things. But, you've both said some really hurtful things to me this week. Rachel, your lies really hurt Chloe. Chloe, you actually struck Rachel in the face. And both of you hurt me so badly this morning. So… let's just admit that we're all a bunch of dumb teenagers and we fuck up sometimes. Let's forgive our past mistakes so we can just move on. That's the whole reason I was sent on this trip by my future self, to make a better future, not a worse one! I want to be your friend, Rachel. And I want to try and become your girlfriend, Chloe, if that's possible for us. But I can't do that if we're just going to keep hurting each other like this. It has to stop."

Rachel slides out of the booth and switches over to Max's side. "I'm totally down to start fresh! I'll never hurt you again, I swear. You're such a sweet girl, Max. You've got a friend for life." She leans all over Max's left shoulder and hugs her in the booth.

When Chloe sees a small smile creep into Max's expression she's not about to be shown up or left out. She disappears under the table and crawls up the other end to take Max's right side, surrounding her by hugs and warmth. "I accept the terms of this parley, Captain Calico Max. You drive a hard bargain, but all faults are forgiven."

Max snickers and shakes her head as she's squeezed between the girls hugging her, the physical affection something she desperately needed after the morning she had. "Good to have you back aboard, First Mate Price. Now quit squishing me and go… swab the decks or something."

Chloe hesitates for a few moments as she thinks. "Wait, are you asking me to go down on you under the table?"

"What the f…?" Max goes wide eyed and looks around at the other people in the restaurant. "Chloe! It's midday and we're in public! Behave yourself. Both of you, get back on your side."

Rachel just laughs and slides out of the booth to return to her side. "Chloe, behave? Now that's funny."

"Chill, Max, I was just fucking with you." Chloe disappears under the table and pops back up on the other side. "And I was totally gonna yell at you for getting David killed, but I can't now that all is forgiven. So, what are we gonna talk about?"

Rachel is quick to offer the answer to that. "Um, duh, time travel. It's real. Max did it. Discuss."

The girls spend most of lunch talking about time travel, and while the conversation starts out very serious, they soon devolve into talking about movies like Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Back to the Future, The Time Machine, The Butterfly Effect, Déjà Vu, and things end very silly as they discuss the recent comedies Hot Tub Time Machine and Safety Not Guaranteed. The mood definitely improves and they're back to their usual smiling selves, at least on the outside. Max doesn't know what lingers within the other two, but she can feel that nagging sixth sense that something is amiss.

 _I felt like everything was wonderful before… more than once, and it ended badly. Every time I take a breath and think I'm through the drama and the pain, something awful happens. It feels like everything is turning out right again, but I don't trust it. They must be lying to me about something, or keeping something from me… oh man, I sound so paranoid right now. This trip has traumatized me. I'll go with this happy vibe, because I'm just too emotionally drained to deal with any more drama today, but I'm not letting my guard down again._

As the three of them leave Lechon they decide to spend their final afternoon in Portland on photo ops, since the day is cool and the skies are clear, giving them good photography conditions. They visit popular photo spots like the Keep Portland Weird Mural, the pink Voodoo Doughnut wall, and the gothic St. Johns Bridge viewed from Cathedral Park, asking strangers to take pictures so all three smiling girls can be in every picture. Conversation stays on safe topics during the afternoon as they cap their road trip properly by commemorating Portland, immortalizing their emotional adventure with bright smiles in every photo as if they battled a great beast and emerged victorious.

When the dinner hour comes around Rachel has another of her Mexican food cravings, but Max insists on finding something healthy. After a little searching on their phones the girls find Santeria, a Mexican restaurant with healthy vegetarian and vegan choices. As the girls sit and eat they joke about how Portland has everything, and how nice it must be to live in such a city full time. That conversation, of course, leads to Chloe complaining about how terrible Arcadia Bay is and how she just can't wait to get out of that "hick town". The idea latches onto Max's mind and makes her drift off in thought for a few minutes.

 _I have to use this. Chloe hates it in Arcadia Bay, so I know she wants to leave. Why not move to Seattle to be with me? Seattle isn't that different from Portland and she seems to really like it here. There's definitely a way to talk her into moving to Seattle, but if I handle the conversation wrong she'll think I'm being selfish or that I'm trying to pressure her into something. It would remind her of her plans to move to L.A. with Rachel and I'd run into a brick wall of negativity. Maybe I can like… Inception her into thinking it's her idea to come to Seattle after she graduates. I'm going to have to plan this one out, maybe even write down a speech and practice in front of a mirror. And I still don't know when and where will be the best time to even talk about this… I'm running out of time, but I can't jump the gun either. This is more nerve wracking than finals._

After dinner the three of them head back to their hotel room to pack everything up and check out so they can hit the road. Max requests the window seat this time, so Rachel kindly sits in the middle, and while she and Chloe rock out to their punk music Max spends the trip going through all her photos and writing in her journal. By the time they get back to Arcadia Bay Max has everything totally chronicled, sparing no detail about the good and the bad of that road trip, preparing the history her future self requested in that letter. All the pictures taken are organized by date and put into little envelopes that are tucked in with each journal entry to complete the time capsule of memories.

As Chloe pulls up to the Blackwell parking lot at around 10pm, Rachel twists to give Max a hug. "It's been so nice meeting you, Max. Even if you didn't bust through time and save my ass like a total boss I'd still wanna be friends with you. You're the bomb, Max."

"Awww." Max gives the girl a squeeze as she smiles happily. "You're a wonderful person, Rachel. I'm glad I was given that letter and had the opportunity to save you. I know you're going to do amazing things in life."

Chloe sniffs at the air and looks around her truck. "Is something baking? It smells like mushed potatoes." She expertly deadpans her joke about how mushy the others are being.

Max releases the hug and turns on Chloe, leaping at her with open arms. "Oh, are you jelly? Then I'll mush you, too!" She squeezes Chloe and plants kisses on the girl's cheek to make her squirm, but Chloe clearly loves the attention.

Rachel just laughs and steps out of the truck, heading to the back to pull her suitcase free from under the tarp. She walks back to the open door and leans in to smile and wave. "Have a good night. See you two tomorrow." And with that she pushes the door shut and heads to her dorm.

It's a quick drive back to Chloe's home, the lights still on inside as Max and Chloe haul their suitcases to the door and enter the home. They find Joyce inside watching TV, but she pops right up to give them both great big hugs. Max can't help but feel guilty about causing the woman's husband to go to his death, and she becomes quiet as Joyce asks how everything went, leaving Chloe to give her vague and sarcastic responses. Joyce inquires about the red streaks in Max's hair and the girl is shy and awkward with her response, her mind stuck on David. But, luckily for Max everyone is tired and the conversation doesn't last long or cover anything deep, and soon the teens are excused to go upstairs and get ready for bed.

Once brushed, flossed and in her night shorts and the white t-shirt with the doe graphic she wore that day, Max flops onto Chloe's low bed and exhales as she stares at the ceiling. "We made it."

Chloe lights up a joint and brings her red Oregon ashtray to rest on her stomach as she lies on her back next to Max, offering the girl a drag. "Like I said. Portland, not Mordor. No army of orcs."

Max puffs and passes the joint back, smiling at that reference returning. "You know, when I first saw you a week ago, I was scared. I thought you might be a totally different person. I thought maybe the Chloe I had a huge crush on was long gone. But I can still feel you in there. All the important parts that I love are still there."

Chloe casts a thankful smile toward Max. "Guess I'm lucky you're such a forgiving hippie. A lot of people wouldn't love me anymore after the shit I put you through this week."

Max nibbles on her lower lip for a few moments as she thinks the week over, then twists to gaze into Chloe's eyes. "Just because we decided to forgive each other of our faults and move on doesn't mean we're not allowed to talk about stuff. If you have strong feelings about something, I'd rather you share them with me than keep them locked away."

The offer makes Chloe knit her brows and avert her gaze, staring at the ceiling as she takes another drag and blows a long stream of smoke into the air above her. "You already know you fucked up. You got all awkward down there the moment you saw my mom. You're obviously already punishing yourself for killing my stepdad. I don't feel like throwing salt at your wounds."

Max fidgets and slowly twists to rest on her side so she can face Chloe. "Does that mean you forgive me or are you just going along with what I said at lunch today? I need to know how you truly feel, Chloe."

The blue haired girl frowns and sighs. "Max… I didn't fucking like the guy. Between the two of us, you did me a favor. But you really fucked with my mom's life. It's her forgiveness you need, but she doesn't even know what you did. It's gotta be hella awkward knowing what you did to her, and knowing she doesn't know it was your fault. You owe my mom big time, and I can't help you with that."

"OK. I understand." Max can't help but sound sad and lonely in her response, but she asked for Chloe's feelings on the subject and she received them. "Well, what about Rachel? Do you really feel differently about her? Are you going to be OK with not being her girlfriend anymore?"

Chloe twists her face to look at Max again, clearly agitated by the questions. "Didn't we already go over all this shit?" She sees the hurt look she put into Max's face and softens a little. "Alright, look. After we had sex and we were just lying in bed together, a few minutes before you came back into the hotel room, I could just tell it was over. The way she was petting my hair, the way she looked at me… it felt like goodbye… like I was about to get on some ship and sail away forever. Rachel's straight. She didn't have a sudden urge to fuck a girl. That was a goodbye present… from the heart. So quit getting all hung up on that like it's gonna stand between us. Not like it'll matter anyway."

Max pushes up to her elbow to look down at Chloe from a better angle, a great deal of concern in her face about that final addition. "Why won't it matter? Don't you want to be with me, Chloe? I love you… doesn't that mean anything to you?" Her eyes well up even though she's trying so hard to keep her emotions in check.

As Chloe gazes up at Max she catches the shimmer in her eyes and lets out a labored breath, putting the joint in the ashtray and setting it aside. "It's hella unfair to lay your love on me like that right now, Max." She twists to prop herself on her elbow so she can properly face Max, reaching out to cup and rub the girl's cheek to show her affection. "Of course I wanna be your girlfriend! It's just not realistic. My life is here and yours is in Seattle. All my future plans to move to L.A. with Rachel just blew up in my face! I don't know what I'm gonna do after graduation anymore, and I don't feel ready to make new plans yet. I could go to college somewhere, or peace out and travel the world for a few years, or maybe just go work at the Two Whales Diner to make my mom's life easier and help her get through losing David. Max, I can't let you go back to Seattle expecting me to show up in a few months to be with you… it's not fair to you. I don't know what I want to do yet. Please tell me you understand."

It feels so much like rejection that Max can barely keep from breaking down. She leans forward to wrap her arms around Chloe and buries her face into the teen's neck to try and hide her tears. "I understand." She whimpers the words, feeling so powerless to change how Chloe feels.

Chloe slowly lies back down and curls her own arms around Max, trying to soothe her by gently brushing her hands up and down the soft t-shirt wrapped around the girl's body. "It's OK to cry, Max. I know it sucks hard to deal with reality… like it did for me when you left. I wish you never moved away, Max. I wish you were my girlfriend for the last few years. But that's not what happened, and we have to be strong and face reality." She pauses to let out a heavy breath, struggling with her own emotions as she brushes her nose through Max's hair. "I hope that we can be together someday. I just don't want to raise your hopes with promises I might not keep, and then hurt you later on. I can't bear hurting you again, Max."

Max sobs openly, no longer holding her sorrow back when she's given permission to cry. She can't respond, but there's nothing left to say. Chloe's made her position very clear, and all that's left is to cry it out. It takes more than a few minutes for Max to release all her sadness, her dejection slowly giving way to the exhaustion of a long and arduous day. When Chloe feels that the time is right she twists away from Max, breaking contact to move the ashtray off the bed and pluck a few tissues from the box so the girls can clear their noses. She turns all the lights off and returns to bed to curl up behind Max, spooning the girl and nuzzling at her red streaked hair to try and soothe the sadness away with gentle affection.

 _Damn it. I know she loves me. I can tell. But she won't trust those feelings and make plans to move to Seattle, not after breaking up with Rachel only a few days ago. Ten days wasn't enough time to win Chloe over. I should have faced reality from the beginning, like she's telling me to now. I was never going to leave here as Chloe's girlfriend. So what do I do? Should I just apply to Blackwell Academy and move down here in the summer to be with her? If that's even an option… this Jefferson Prescott scandal could be the end of Blackwell Academy. So if that's not an option, then all I have is this weekend. I only have that belated birthday present, my grand romantic gesture… if I can just find the right time and place, and deliver it with the right words and feelings… I have to believe it can work. But I feel so powerless, so worn down, so sad… this week has taken so much out of me. God, help me… I need the strength to reach Chloe's heart this weekend. The happiness of my entire future depends upon it._


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

A sudden impact on her butt rouses Max, the girl inhaling sharply as the spank jerks her out of dream land. She opens her eyes and scans Chloe's bedroom, knowing just where she is and who she's with, so she just smiles and stays as she is. Her mind comes up with a playful idea and she decides to go with it, seeing if she can get away with teasing Chloe.

"Mmmh, didn't work. I'm still asleep." She gives her soft response to the wake up spank, wondering how Chloe might react.

"Oh, shit, that won't wake your ass up anymore? It must have a defective part or something. I'll have to open it up and poke around inside." She grabs Max's shorts with both hands and suddenly yanks down to expose the girl's entire butt all at once.

That definitely worked, as Max squeals and flops like a fish to face upward and hide her naked butt on the bed, staring up at Chloe with an embarrassed but playful smile as she claws at her shorts to try and get them back up. "Such a perv!"

Chloe grins down at her. "Hey, you can't play Moral Max now, you were totally challenging me to do some pervy shit with that 'I'm still asleep' act. Besides, you have a picture of my butt in your phone. Don't even pretend like you deleted it. I know you want my booty, girl." She winks and rolls out of bed to stretch, purposely shoving her butt toward Max and wiggling it as she stretches.

"Tck, you tease." Max pulls the pillow from behind her head and throws it at that butt wiggling at her. "Of course I want you, that's not a secret. But you won't let it happen, you big meanie." She slowly pushes up to sit cross legged on the bed.

As Chloe walks over to her closet to sift through clothes she smirks. "You think I should just ravish you all day without any thought of how fucking awkward it would be to put you on that plane to Seattle tomorrow? And you call me a perv." She snickers as she plucks some clean clothes to drape over her arm. "Maybe I should. You saved Rachel's life, and mine, which was so brave and selfless… and you're like the smartest, most talented person I know. The more I think about it, the more I just don't think anybody is good enough for you… besides me." Chloe grins and throws in a wink at that last bit.

Max can't help but feel a surge of hope, as if Chloe is being very serious and just hiding her true feelings behind playful banter. She pushes off the bed to approach the taller girl. "Well, if that's how you feel, then let's do this. Let's just date!"

Chloe's expression shifts to worry as she sees Max switch from playful to serious. "Are you gonna torture me with this every day? My heart is still recovering from this fucked up week." She reaches her hand up to brush through Max's hair and over her cheek. "I care about you, but I don't feel like I'm in a good place right now. I'd be a shitty girlfriend, even if we did live in the same city… which we don't. You have to fly back to Seattle tomorrow. We have most of April ahead of us, then all of May, and most of June, at least two and a half months before we're done with the school year. I might meet someone, or you might… I don't wanna tie you down and keep you from enjoying what's right in front of you because you're stuck wishing you could be with someone that's far away. Maybe we'll get together over the summer… hopefully we can. But for now, let's just be realistic." She forces herself to break away, twisting to head to the door and exit the room with her clothes.

 _Chloe… don't you get it yet? You tied me down a long time ago. I've been stuck wishing I could be with someone that's far away for four years now. And I'm really starting to hate the word realistic. If she fucking tells me I'm not realistic one more time I'm gonna lose my shit! Ugh, calm down, Max, don't let anger take control. Just plan out your grand romantic gesture, believe in yourself, and wait for the perfect moment. You can still reach her._

Max digs through her suitcase to pick out an outfit for the day, then sits on Chloe's bed and thinks about what to say and how to say it when the time comes to appeal to Chloe's heart. She waits until Chloe comes back so she can take her own turn in the bathroom to wash up and get ready for the day, spending a bit more time pondering her grand gesture and working the kinks out of her speech. Once both girls are clean and dressed they head down to the kitchen to find Joyce.

"Good morning, Joyce. Any chance I could get another batch of those amazing pancakes?" Max offers her brightest smile.

Joyce returns the smile and nods. "Of course, darlin'. And for you, Chloe?"

"Oh, we went to this cool South American place the other day. How about you whip me up some of that? I want a chivito with chimichurri sauce on the side." She offers a mischievous grin.

"Child, don't play with me! I'll feed you dirt." Joyce shakes her finger at Chloe.

"Alright, chill! I'll take the same. Pancakes will do just fine."

Max and Chloe step up to offer their help, fetching ingredients and tools and making a little assembly line to get the pancakes going, then leave things to Joyce once it becomes a waiting game to flip those pancakes. They serve themselves coffee and set the table to be ready for the pancakes to arrive, happily digging in once Joyce sets the scrumptious things down in front of them. Then Joyce takes one of the two open seats at the dining table and adopts a forlorn expression.

"Well, today's the day we say goodbye…" She sighs as she looks at a picture of David in her hands. "The funeral service begins at 3pm. You two can go out if you like, but please be back here by two to change your clothes and go to the cemetery with me."

Still wracked by guilt for what she's caused, Max reaches out to rub her hand on the woman's back. "Are you sure you don't want us to keep you company today? We could stay if you like."

Joyce takes a moment to consider it, then tears her eyes away from the picture of David to offer Max a small smile and the shake of her head. "Bless your heart for the offer, Max. But this is your last day with Chloe and I want you to spend it with her. You can keep me company at the funeral, but otherwise I want you to spend this day makin' a few more happy memories with my little girl before you fly back to Seattle."

"Alright, Joyce. I'll do what I can." Max feels the weight of loss emanating from the woman sitting beside her, and the claws of guilt scraping her heart once more. She considers telling Joyce the truth, admitting her fault, but decides the woman is going through enough on the day of David's funeral.

A minute of silence passes as the girls eat their pancakes before Joyce smiles down at the picture of David and speaks again, her voice soft and warm, but distant. "I'll do what I can." She repeats what Max said earlier. "You reminded me of my honeymoon with David. That's when he finally opened up to me about why he joined the military. David was a protector… he never wanted to shoot anybody, he just wanted to root out the bad eggs and protect the rest of us. 'I'll always do what I can to protect the helpless from the bad guys,' he said. I guess he got what he wanted in the end… he protected all you girls from those sick, twisted men. He's always gonna be remembered as a hero, now." Her tone shifts back to sadness. "I just wish he lived through it to see how thankful we all are for him… but that's not how life goes. You don't always get your way."

Chloe looks across the table and sees Max on the verge of tears, so she speaks up. "We're gonna get through this, mom. Just like last time. Be strong, OK? Tell me you're gonna be alright here if Max and I take off for a few hours."

Joyce sucks in a deep breath and exhales slowly as she gathers herself, then slowly pushes to her feet. "Don't you get caught up worryin' about me. Yall should go out after breakfast, just be back by two." With that she takes her leave, heading upstairs to her bedroom.

Max and Chloe try not to be too worried about Joyce as they finish their breakfast and clean up after themselves. But, Max is clearly feeling awful for causing so much pain, so Chloe offers the girl a very long hug. She calls Rachel while holding Max to see if the girl wants to spend time with them before the funeral, but Rachel informs her that she found a police notice slipped under her dorm door while they were in Portland, so she'll be spending the morning talking with the police. After learning it'll just be the two of them, Chloe decides to show Max some of her new favorite places.

Chloe drives them across town to park next to the train tracks so they can go for a walk along them, each trying to stay upon a rail and often reaching out for each other to hold hands and help the other keep balance. As they walk Max asks about Blackwell Academy, the Prescott family, the Vortex Club and Frank Bowers, trying to play catch up about the people and town around her. But soon Chloe grows tired of answering Arcadia Bay trivia, and of walking.

"You might be able to go forever Mega Max, but I need to take a break." Chloe twists and lies down between the tracks, using a rail as a pillow under her beanie and staring up at the little white clouds floating around the sky.

Max rests her head on the opposite rail so the two can still see each other as they speak. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I definitely can't go forever. Not physically or emotionally. This week has been insane and I almost ran home more than once."

"Sorry about that, Max. Insane seems to be the new normal for me. Sometimes it feels like this hick town is cursed, and I just wanna drop a fucking bomb on the place and turn it to glass." Chloe catches herself getting venomous and takes a breath. "But, railroad tracks always make me feel better… I have no idea why. So, coming out here is a nice escape."

Max smiles as she absorbs the atmosphere, the forest all around them and the sound of leaves rustling and birds chirping. "It's so peaceful here, how could you not like it? Thanks for taking me out here, Chloe." Her eyes land on a particular cloud and she points it out. "Woah. That cloud looks like a big eye staring back at us. What do you think?"

Chloe finds it and tilts her head left and right before responding. "Looks like a vagina to me."

Max closes her eyes and slowly exhales. "Of course it does. You're Chloe Price. I should have known better than to ask."

"You know you love it." Chloe playfully shoves Max's leg and grins at the girl.

 _Hmmm. Is this the moment? Should I pull the gift out and offer her my speech and all my love? No, it's too soon… the funeral hasn't happened yet. I feel like I should wait until after that. Maybe… saying goodbye to David will help make Chloe want me in her life. Oh my God, I caused David's death and now I'm thinking of how I can use it to my advantage! Yeah, this line of thinking ends now._

Max twists around so her head is on the same rail as Chloe and snuggles up close to the girl, carefully pulling her camera out of her photography satchel without revealing the surprise gift she has in there. As she holds the camera high and leans in Chloe does the same, smiling and pressing her ear and cheek to Max's so she can take a nice picture of them lying on the tracks. Once their legs are rested up they continue their journey, Chloe leading Max to their next destination.

When Max scrunches up her nose and asks what smells, Chloe just points ahead at the junkyard. She walks through it and shows Max all the old, interesting things left there, which of course Max has to take pictures of. But, when Chloe enters a little square building and points out what's inside Max lowers her camera and stares with an open jaw.

"Oh, wowser. The elephant on the yellow rug! The Welcome to Hell poster!" Her eyes scan to her left and she sees the dart board and the scores written on the wall beneath it. "The dartboard where Rachel totally kicks your ass!"

"Hey, hippie, shut your trap! I let her win cause I was in love with her. I'm hella good at darts, damn it!" Chloe protests while stomping her foot on the ground and putting her hands on her hips.

Max just grins and pulls the darts out of the board. "Oh yeah? Prove it, then."

The two of them enjoy competing playfully, not really following any official rules and just making it up as they go. It turns out to be a nice bonding experience, as if Chloe is welcoming Max to the junkyard hideout and the darts game is being used as a sort of initiation. In the end Max concedes her defeat, partly because she doesn't understand the rules behind scoring in darts, but mostly because she wants Chloe to feel happy. With lingering smiles the girls sit on the plank that's lying atop a few cinderblocks below the yellow rug, relaxing on the makeshift bench.

"So, this is your new pirate fort, huh? I like it, First Mate Price. You've collected some fine booty." Max wraps her left arm behind Chloe's back and leans into her.

Chloe grins and swings her right arm over Max to rest the forearm on the girl's shoulder. "Aye, Captain! We've got twenty barrels of rum in the cellar and twelve cannons on the roof! The wenches are on the way, so drink up me hearty!"

Max laughs and looks up. "You couldn't fit twelve cannons on this little place. And the only wench I need is right here." She twists to plant a few tender kisses on Chloe's neck and cheek.

It makes Chloe squirm a little as she receives kiss after kiss. "Down, girl. We talked about holding off, remember?"

Max reaches across herself with her right hand so she can cup Chloe's cheek and pull the taller girl into facing her. "I remember you telling me to loosen up and enjoy myself this week… several times. So, now it's your turn. Can't we just enjoy kissing a little?"

Chloe blinks as she fights with her conflicting thoughts and emotions, then sighs. "Oh, fuck it, why the hell not?" Her eyes drift shut and she leans down to lend Max her lips.

Max takes advantage of the opportunity and puts everything she has into those kisses. While her right hand gently pets along Chloe's cheek and her left gives a nice squeeze around the girl's body, her lips mesh with Chloe's and pluck at them passionately. Her kisses are better than last time, able to trap and tug on Chloe's lower lip to let it flick back into place each time it's released, even daring to trace the tip of her tongue along those tender pink lips. She's elated to hear a few quiet hums of approval from Chloe, both girls opening their eyes slowly to just stare at each other with soft, relaxed smiles after the kissing ends.

"See, that wasn't so bad." Max lets her hand slide off of Chloe's cheek. "Now you know what you'll be missing out on if you don't wanna date me." She can't help but grin as she teases Chloe.

Chloe raises her brows and smiles down at Max for a second before reacting. "Max Caulfield, are you sexually enticing me? I think you are. Mission accomplished. You're now a hell-raiser." She lightly bops Max on the nose with a fingertip and rises to her feet to check her phone.

"I'll just tell myself that it worked so I don't feel dumb." Max reaches out to play with Chloe's dangling suspender while the girl's going through her phone.

"Oh, it worked, Magician Max, you definitely cast a spell on me. But, we still don't live in the same city, so don't get any ideas." She reaches down to collect the hand playing with her suspender and pulls Max up. "Come on, let's get back to town and grab some lunch."

"The only lunch I need is… right here…?" Max looks around awkwardly as she tries and fails to reuse the wench line while being led out of the hideout.

Chloe laughs aloud and shakes her head. "You're so adorkable. Stay exactly the way you are, Max. Seriously."

By the time they make it back into town it's well past noon, and lunch options are limited. With Joyce on grief leave the diner won't be very good, and they don't feel like eating fast food. So, the girls drive to the little food mart in town to buy some fresh fruits and a box of granola bars to snack on. They head across the street and into the gas station to take turns playing the Pac-Man machine in there while the one watching munches on fruit and granola. Of course Max has to take a picture of Chloe while she's having an intense Pac-Man experience, capturing it forever. But, soon 2pm starts to close in and they have to head home to get ready for the funeral.

All dressed in black, the three women enter Joyce's car and drive down to the center of town where everyone planned to meet. A train of vehicles forms behind the hearse and they all slowly make their way to the cemetery at the outskirts of town. There are well over a hundred people in attendance, many affiliated with Blackwell Academy as faculty, students or parents of students, but also people who just followed the news and wanted to honor a local hero. Joyce struggles to make the walk to the casket, but with Chloe taking one hand and Max taking the other, the girls are able to help the grieving woman approach the final resting place of David Madsen.

Once everyone is in position and quieted the eulogist offers his speech. He starts at the beginning, outlining David's struggles and triumphs from childhood onward, and the heroic nature built into him that led him to join the military. He served from 2000-2008 in both Iraq and Afghanistan, his efforts to protect the helpless civilian base of those countries from the militarized terrorist factions. But, after witnessing years of death the horrors of war left him with PTSD and he had to leave the military. Seeking peace, he moved to the tiny, quiet town of Arcadia Bay, where he thought he would be free of horror, but that was not his destiny. Horror was hiding beneath a barn and preying upon helpless girls in the tiny town. David laid down his life to protect Arcadia Bay from terror, proving his heroism and earning a special place in the hearts of all its citizens. His sacrifice likely saved the lives of aspiring young ladies attending Blackwell Academy, and he should never be forgotten.

Many attendees sob and some others offer their own personal eulogies as well, though Joyce is too torn up to speak publicly, and Chloe just isn't comfortable with it. People are allowed to approach the casket and say their private goodbyes, and that is something Chloe is comfortable with. Max stands close enough behind the girl to hear her, next in line to say goodbye.

Chloe drops to her knees and puts a hand on the casket, her speech labored as she cries. "You asshole. Why'd you have to go and die like that? My mom needed you…" She wipes her wrist over her eyes and sniffs. "I'm sorry I was such a bitch all the time. I'm sorry we never got along. I didn't know it was gonna end like this. But thank you for confronting Jefferson… for your part in saving Rachel. I'll make sure she lives a really good life in your place… Goodbye, David." She pushes off the casket and covers her face with her hands as she rushes off, looking for a place to hide so she can weep.

Max takes her place, kneeling and folding her hands in her lap as she stares at the box that contains David, quietly letting the tears flow.

 _You're probably in heaven right now for what you've done. Which means you know by now that this is all my fault. I wish I knew what to say to you. That I'm sorry I got you killed… or thank you for following my note and stopping those criminals… or that I promise my future self will undo this and let you live on. I don't know if she will… it's not up to me. Please, forgive me, David. I'm just a dumb kid who was given too big a task to handle. I did my best, but it wasn't good enough to save everyone. I know you wanted Chloe to succeed in life… to stop being into punk culture, smoking pot and hanging out with the wrong kind of people. I'll do my best to help Chloe turn into the wonderful woman you and Joyce always envisioned she could be. Hopefully I can earn your forgiveness through helping Chloe. Goodbye for now, Mr. Madsen. But, who knows… maybe I'll be seeing you in seven months._

Max rises and slowly walks away, her sad eyes scanning the crowd. She finds Chloe and Joyce standing under a tree holding each other as they cry. Then her eyes spot the familiar face of Rachel, so she approaches the girl and offers her a hug. The two of them make their way out of the crowd to stand in isolation so they can speak.

"Thanks for being here, Max." Rachel expresses her gratitude as she rubs Max's back. "I know you probably feel responsible, because of the letter. It's so heavy… a lot of people would have bailed. You're being so strong and brave for Joyce and Chloe. That's really cool of you."

Still thinking about what might happen on October 15th Max shrugs and gives a vacant look. "Can't run away from time."

It takes a few seconds for Rachel to realize what Max means, and her response is a very tight hug and a warm promise. "You'll live forever in my heart, Max. Chloe's, too."

In time, the service is concluded and the casket lowered into the ground. While the attendees leave Max, Rachel, Chloe and Joyce linger under that tree. Chloe asks about the police and Rachel informs her that it was just questioning about Nathan Prescott and Mark Jefferson, since a red binder was found in the barn basement with her name on it. Joyce is disgusted to learn that Rachel was the next planned victim, but the girls already knew from the letter, though it's still sickening to hear about the binder. After a long group hug they all depart, Rachel heading back to her dorm and Joyce driving home with Chloe and Max. It's only around 5pm, but Joyce and Chloe are feeling so emotionally drained they just want to stay home. Sitting in Chloe's bedroom watching the blue haired teen sulk invokes a great deal of anxiety in Max, knowing she has to find a way to lift Chloe out of her depressed state if she's going to have any chance to win her heart with the grand gesture she's been waiting to give.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

For the better part of an hour Max does everything she can to raise Chloe's spirits. With Chloe's laptop she browses YouTube, searching through silly pet videos, fail compilations, famous scenes from comedy movies, and popular stand-up comedy clips. Combining humor provided by the internet with snuggles and back rubs seems to have some positive effect on Chloe's mood, but it's minimal. Max can't help but feel disheartened when she leaves the room, as if her situation is hopeless. She makes her way down into the garage for a little privacy and tries calling Rachel.

"Hey, Max. How are you all holding up over there?" Rachel is immediately concerned by receiving Max's call.

Max lets out a long sigh, which is telling enough on its own. "I'm trying so hard to cheer Chloe up. She's just so depressed after the funeral. I saw her break down and cry… I heard her apologize. It finally hit her, that she won't have any more chances to make things right at home, she'll never be able to form a positive relationship with David, and her last memory of him is so awful… all because of me!"

"No, Max, it's not all your fault! Death is just part of life. We know that all too well after reading your letter. Listen, you saved me and Chloe, so she's not gonna hate your guts for what happened to David. She'll forgive you, so don't trip about that, OK? Chloe just needs time."

"Time…" Max echoes the word as if it's become her enemy. "I don't have time, Rachel. I might just blink out of existence in seven months! I can't leave here without telling Chloe how deeply I love her and need her in my life… what little of it is left." She can't help but to shed tears as she shares her despair with Rachel. "I saved you both… and all I want in return is to spend the next seven months with Chloe. Is that too much to ask for?"

"Oh, Max…" Rachel begins crying as she tries to come up with words to help Max. "Please don't say that. I refuse to believe you're going to blink out of existence. You deserve so much better…" She takes a shuddering breath. "And I want you two together, too. That's why I broke up with Chloe. But I can't make her say yes to you, Max. What are you asking me to do? How can I help you right now?"

"I need Chloe in a better place." Max rubs the tears out of her eyes with her free hand as she tries to stay focused on what she needs. "She's too depressed, and this house just reminds her of David. If I try to reach out to her heart here I'll be rejected for sure. Where can I take her, Rachel? Where does she go that makes her happy? A place she finds peace, or hope, or anything positive."

After a few moments of consideration and a sniffle Rachel responds. "I've got it. Eat dinner first to get something warm and satisfying in her stomach. Then go to the beach and hike up the trail to the lighthouse. You have to get there in time to watch the sunset. That's the best time and place to escape your troubles in all of Arcadia Bay. That's your best chance, Max."

Max takes a second to imagine it, feeling the warm buzz of hope starting to beat back the despair that was winning the battle over her heart. "That sounds like it could work. Thank you so much, Rachel. You're such a wonderful friend."

"You saved my life, Max. Anything I can do to help you out, I'll do it. Now go… you have like ninety minutes to get to the lighthouse. Call me if you need any more help, OK? I'll be right here."

"I will. Take care, Rach. I'll call you tomorrow morning to let you know how everything goes." Max ends the call and rushes back into the living room.

With newfound vigor and hope that all is not lost, Max hurries toward Joyce and offers her assistance in cooking dinner. It's a little early for dinner but Joyce can feel the sense of urgency in Max and can tell that the girl is up to something. However, she trusts the kind hearted teen to have good intentions and doesn't pry. The two of them prepare dinner as quickly as Max can manage, then she zips upstairs to summon Chloe and tries to be as encouraging as possible to convince her to eat just as quickly. It's difficult, depression always constricting the stomach the most, but Max succeeds well enough to sate Chloe's hunger for the evening.

"Sorry for all the hurry up, I just wanted to make a final request for this trip." Max clasps her hands together as she looks at Chloe with pleading eyes. "Can we please go to the beach now? Maybe hike up to the lighthouse to watch the sunset or something?"

Chloe lifts her head and adopts a knowing smile as she slowly nods. "Now I get it. I was wondering what got into you. Umm… fine, wish granted, Maxladdin, but it's your last one."

"Oh, thank you my blue haired genie! A bit of fresh air and a nice view should do us both good tonight." She pushes herself up and looks to Joyce, feeling guilty for not inviting her to come along, but knowing it would compromise her grand gesture if anyone else was there.

Joyce catches the look and waves her hand dismissively in the air. "It's alright, you girls go on, I'll be fine here. But don't even think about drinkin' and drivin'." She stands to begin stacking the dinner plates and utensils for washing so the teens can make their way out.

Chloe heads to the fridge to pluck a beer out, and when the sound of opening it draws a stern look from her mother she rolls her eyes and holds her keys out toward Max. "No drinking and driving, I got it." She makes her way to the front door to put her black jacket and boots on. "No Mad Max stunts out there… it'd be hella ironic if you crashed on the way to the beach. Mom would not be amused."

"I'll be safe, Joyce. I promise." Max assures the woman, then puts her photography satchel and shoes on so she can head out with Chloe.

The drive to the beach is fairly easy, Max needing little direction to find her way west until the land runs out. Chloe spends the drive drinking her beer and staring out the window, remaining mostly quiet other than offering a few hints on when to turn left or right. By the time Max pulls up to the beach parking lot Chloe has already finished her beer, happily basking in the slight buzz it gave her. When they step out of the pickup truck Max looks to the low sun over the ocean and smiles in relief, seeing she still has time before the sunset.

As the girls casually walk along the soft sand of the beach Max reaches out to hold Chloe's hand, interlacing her fingers to lock the grip and keep the girl close. Chloe doesn't protest or pull away, she just walks side by side with Max toward the hill the lighthouse is on. They step over pieces of driftwood and point out pretty seashells, pieces of jasper and even a few agates resting in the sand. An eastward wind brings in cool, salty air that tugs on the pirate spirits within the girls and gets them talking about sailing the high seas. Soon sand becomes dirt and a slowly rising slope, Max continuing to entertain Chloe with fantastic pirate tales while they make the trek up the trail to the lighthouse. At the top Chloe heads straight for the bench to sit down and enjoy the view, having been there plenty of times before, while Max just stands mesmerized for a minute.

She faces south and looks to her left to see the rows of evergreen trees rise along the rolling hills, and below them the entire town of Arcadia Bay. Everything is starting to turn orange as the sun draws close to the horizon, offering for a wonderful picture of the town. The waves slowly roll into the beach below, their soothing sound a distant hush, barely audible from the hilltop two hundred feet high. Max moves in behind Chloe to take a dynamic picture of her darkened silhouette with the sun in the background of the shot, its bright orange glow turning everything else nearly black. Then she steps behind that bench to admire the westward view, the seemingly endless sea showing such beautiful, intricate patterns within all the waves and ripples reflecting the low, orange sun at them. All the glints of light flicker and sparkle as if the lowering sun is performing a romantic slow dance with the ocean below, carefully lowering into its expansive caress. The pink and peach skies are dotted by small clouds from horizon to shore, each of them offering their own unique contrast of shadow and light as they reflect the colors of the sunset.

"It's… breathtaking." Max says softly as she sits down on the bench by Chloe's left side, snuggling up close and holding her camera out to take a picture of them together.

"Yeah. It's nice up here." Chloe leans in close and rests her temple on Max's head for the picture. "Thanks for recommending this, hippie. It's so you to wanna watch the sunset together after attending a funeral… fucking poetic. But I'm glad we're up here."

"Me too. Just the two of us… together." Max stuffs her camera back into her satchel and pulls her phone and earbuds out. "Hey, I have something I'd like you to listen to."

Chloe adopts a curious look as she accepts the earbuds offered to her and thoroughly rubs them down with her shirt. "You're not supposed to share these, Max. You can get an ear infection. Jeez, I thought you were smart." She smirks and playfully elbows the girl as she puts the earbuds in and waits.

"Oh, but I am smart. I sanitized them earlier." Max responds with a smile as she queues up the song. "I might have been planning this a little. Actually… I've been waiting four years to play this song for you." When she presses play Max raises her gaze to offer Chloe a hopeful smile.

When the music begins playing Chloe's eyes dart around and she makes an awkward face as she tries to figure out what it is. The first lyrics spoken give her the answer she needs and she lets out a light chuckle. "Seriously? You've been waiting four years to play Shania Twain – From This Moment On? This is some really sappy country music, the type of shit my mom listens to. What's up?"

"Tck, just watch the sunset while you listen to the lyrics." Max cuddles into Chloe's left side as she explains. "I realized I had a huge crush on you at thirteen, you know that. So, I wanted to figure out how to tell you. I couldn't ask my parents cause… awkward! So, I asked your mom what the best way is to tell someone you love them for the first time. She said music speaks to the soul, and directed me to that song. I don't know if she realized I was talking about you… Anyway, better late than never. The lyrics still speak true of my feelings for you, Chloe."

Chloe doesn't respond since she's too busy processing the lyrics of the song and remembering her relationship with Max before tragedy struck and life tore them apart. She remembers hearing the song in her childhood, its familiarity helping her to immerse in those young, happier memories. As she listens to all the sweet, loving lyrics directed from Max to her it brings Chloe a soft smile and her eyes begin to shimmer with moisture as she stares at that beautiful sunset, losing herself in wishful thoughts. Max looks on, admiring Chloe with her own dreamy, hopeful eyes.

 _Oh, wowser, Chloe looks so beautiful. The orange light of the sunset paints her pale face so well, and it makes her eyes sparkle like sapphires. And her expression right now… she has such a look about her, like she's ready to say goodbye to today and welcome the next chapter of her life. It's working… this is it, Max. The moment you've been waiting for. Time to fight for her like dad said. Open up your heart and let everything out. Don't be afraid to get hurt._

Chloe glances over and catches the love drunk look on Max's face, then adopts a worried expression and pulls away a bit as she removes the earbuds. "Um, Max? You look like you're about to ask me to enter a long distance relationship with you for the seventh time."

Max casts a sad look downward, rejected before she's even begun. But, she steels herself and sits up straight to give Chloe a determined look. "I get it, Chloe. You just got out of a really long relationship. Your future plans have been ruined. Your stepdad is dead because of me… I understand you're going through a tough time right now, OK? I totally get you… but I need you to understand me, too. So please, just let me get this out before I lose my nerve."

Chloe falls silent for a moment as she feels the conviction coming from the usually shy, soft spoken and introverted girl. "I thought I did understand you, Max. But… sure, go ahead, let it all out. Lay it on me." She leans back on the bench and lifts her arms to rest them atop the backrest as she watches Max stand.

"You know I love you. I've told you that." Max begins as she moves to stand with the sun at her back. "But I really need you to understand how deeply I love you. You're the ONE, Chloe. You've always been the only one for me. I can't be with anyone else… I know, because I've tried. And my deepest regret is not being strong enough to call you after I made it to Seattle." She scrunches her face up as if she's about to cry, but grips her hands into fists and huffs as she forces herself to stay strong. "But if I fly back to Seattle without fighting for you… if I let you slip through my fingers again…" She gestures toward the cliff behind her. "I'd rather leap off the edge, Chloe! I could never forgive myself if I didn't try."

Chloe frantically pushes off the bench and reaches out to grab hold of Max's hands. "Don't even say that kind of shit, Max! Don't you dare try to kill yourself just because I'm not ready to be with anyone else yet! I just need more time."

Max shakes her head. "I don't have any more time, Chloe. I wasted it all being alone in Seattle, not calling or texting you once. I can't get that time back, and for all I know I only have seven months left before I'm… overwritten by another version of myself." She can't stop the tears from flowing this time, crumpling a little where she stands. "Chloe, please… I don't have time to wait for you to be ready."

As Max falters where she stands Chloe steps forward to wrap her in a tight hug, holding the girl close and keeping her up. "No, Max, that's bullshit! We have our whole lives ahead of us. We'll figure out a way… you won't be overwritten. That can't happen." She knows she's trying to convince herself just as much as Max.

"There's nothing we can do about it, Chloe. Except spend this time together. Portland is like three hours away from here… and from Seattle, too. We can meet every weekend if we wanted to. I'm not unrealistic, Chloe, please… just give us a chance. You're my number one priority now. You're all that matters to me. I'll do whatever it takes to be your girlfriend!"

Chloe leans down to bury her face into Max's hair, feeling her reasons and fears for remaining apart eroding away under the waves of desperate love bombarding her. "Max…" The girl's name is all she can respond with as she wets that red streaked hair with tears.

"Wait… I have something for you." Max slips her hands from around Chloe to reach down and dig into her photography satchel, producing a garment and holding it up.

Chloe pulls out of the hug to collect it, standing before Max as she raises the item between their breasts and looks it over. It's a black skater beanie with a white skull and crossbones on the forehead. To the right is a little red heart pin stuck into the beanie with shiny gold letters that read First Mate.

"I'm so sorry I left Arcadia Bay without you and took so long to return. Life was so empty without you in it. But I'm back now, and I'm never letting the world take me away from you again." Max raises her hands to gently caress Chloe's cheeks as she stares into her love's eyes with all the passion in the world. "I love you with all my heart, Chloe… and you will always be my First Mate."

It's all too much for Chloe's heart to handle. The desperation, the incredible amount of love, the beautiful nostalgia of being Max's First Mate years ago, and thoughts that Max may only have seven months left to live before she's replaced by another are just too much. She begins sobbing, crying harder than she did at the funeral as she wraps her arms around Max to squeeze her once again. "OK! Max, I'll do it!"

Max twists her face in the tight embrace so she can try to see Chloe, speaking softly up toward her ear. "What, Chloe? What will do you?"

"All of it. I'll be your girlfriend… I'll drive to Portland to see you on weekends… I'll move to Seattle after school. If this fucking universe will only give me seven months with you then I'll make them the best seven months ever." Chloe leans back so she can meet Max's gaze, letting the girl see the honest love in her face when she says the words. "I love you, too, Max. You're so smart, and brave, and kind… after everything you've done you deserve to be happy. And if my fucked up self is what makes you happy then I'm all yours. And I mean it this time! No cold feet, second guessing, flighty shit, none of that drama. I'm hella ready to be yours."

Max reaches up to steal Chloe's blue beanie and stuffs it onto her own head, smiling through her tears. "Then put on your new uniform, First Mate. And kiss me like you mean it."

Chloe raises her pirate beanie and dons it for the first time, adjusting it to make sure the skull and crossbones are centered over her forehead. Then she slips her arms around Max's back and pulls her tight, stomachs and breasts pressing together first and lips interlocking second. The passion in those kisses are unmatched by any before, fireworks bursting around their hearts as the girls envelop each other in their love. Max pets her fingertips up and down the back of Chloe's neck while she receives affectionate back rubs, neither girl having any reservations about opening their lips and playing their first game of tongue twister.

After a minute the kissing moves to the bench, Max finding herself sitting sideways on Chloe's lap. Chloe only breaks the kiss to point out the sun, and the two snuggle on the bench as they watch the beautiful orange ball kiss the ocean and slowly sink into it. Having brought no flashlights they decide to walk back down the path right then, rather than waiting until it's truly dark. They hold hands and smile happily all the way back to the pickup truck, where once again Max takes the wheel.

When the girls pull up to Joyce's home they find the woman in the living room watching TV, so they decide to visit with her for a time and share the news. Joyce is a bit surprised at first, because of the timing, but is quick to give the union her blessing and well wishes. Chloe doesn't much care about whether or not she has permission, but both she and Max are happy to share something positive with Joyce on such a hard day for her and put a smile back on the woman's face. After devoting half an hour to Joyce the teens head upstairs to brush and floss, then close themselves into Chloe's room.

Chloe twists around so she's walking toward her bed backwards, seeming unsure of how to proceed. "So, what are you hoping for now? You wanna plan out how we're gonna meet in Portland on weekends, or smoke a bit, or cuddle and watch a movie, or…?"

Max smiles as the last 'or' trails off, nibbling her lower lip as she removes her photography satchel and the blue beanie she stole. "I think it's about time I learned what it means to be a woman. Can you make a woman out of me, Chloe?" She even flutters her eyelashes at her new girlfriend.

Chloe laughs and begins removing her bracelets and necklace. "You're so much more a woman than me… I'm like the least mature person you know. But yes, Noir Angel, when it comes to sex I'm definitely equipped to take care of bidness. You sure you're ready, though? We're talking about the V-card here… you have to be a hundred percent on this." She walks around the bed as she speaks, placing her jewelry down on the bedside table.

Max walks to the foot of the bed and takes a deep breath, then answers by slowly stripping down to her bra and panties. She tries to keep her gaze locked on Chloe all the while, but can't help feel that twinge of uncertainly when she reaches up to unclasp her bra. "I… I'm a hundred percent about it, Chloe. I just don't know what to do."

Chloe smirks as she pulls her own clothes off. "Oh, you push the clasp things together and it comes undone."

"Tck, you jerk! I know how to take my bra off! I mean… you know what I mean!" Max growls playfully, removing her bra and throwing it at Chloe.

The reaction is priceless, Chloe laughing aloud as she walks over to her music player to turn some tunes on. "First step is to create some background noise. Especially since my mom is downstairs… we don't want her to hear us, that would be hella awkward." She turns around and reaches out to gently push her hands into Max to send the girl down into the seated position. "Just lie back and relax, and if anything doesn't feel right just say so and we'll stop to figure it out."

Max licks her lips and nods as she scoots back on the bed to find a pillow to rest her head on, the girl cuddling herself to stay warm as she lies in just her panties.

Chloe wiggles out of everything to stand totally bare before Max, then slowly crawls into bed and toward her girlfriend. "Permission to board, Captain?"

Max smiles and blushes, but she nods encouragingly. "Permission granted, First Mate."

Chloe begins working her magic immediately, proving her experience from the get go. What she can do to a girl with her lips and fingers is able to whittle down anyone's resolve, but the lucky virgin is totally floored. Max doesn't really remember when her panties come off, or how few minutes it takes to send her shivering and quaking through her first climax, but she knows by the look on Chloe's face afterward that it's nowhere near over. Chloe begins anew, starting slowly and gently to warm Max up again and guiding the virgin's hands so she'll know how and where to reciprocate while she's receiving all the intimate attention. The warmth and passion of Chloe's lovemaking melts Max's world away, everything outside that bedroom fading into obscurity as her mind only knows Chloe and what she's doing. Once mesmerized in full by Chloe's soft, warm body, her delightful coos and hums of pleasure, her enticing scent and flavor, it doesn't take much convincing for Max to OK the inclusion of toys. Once involved, and in Chloe's capable hands, Max needs to muffle herself with a pillow. At no point does anything not feel right, so with no objection Chloe continues to please Max until the teen can handle no more. Exhausted yet totally satisfied, Max falls asleep in Chloe's arms feeling like she's finally whole.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

Blue painted fingernails gently brush up and down Max's back while soft lips draw a line of kisses from her shoulder to her ear. The girl smiles as she's slowly brought out of sleep by the delicate affection, her mind identifying that she's cuddled around a pillow and lying on her stomach. She opens her eyes and slowly twists to face up, the maneuver allowing for plenty of soft skin to rub along Chloe's as the two slept with nothing between them. Max smiles up at her girlfriend as Chloe drapes one arm and leg over her to halfway lie upon her.

"That's a much better way to wake me up than attacking my butt. Good morning, love." Max reaches up to brush her fingers through Chloe's hair, softly running her nails along the scalp to soothe her girlfriend.

"Morning, Cap. I can't rightly spank you without permission if you're gonna be playing the Captain, now can I?" Chloe can't help but lean ever so slightly toward that hand petting through her hair as she feels the wonderful tingles of pleasure it brings her. "Mmmh. You know what a real pirate Captain would do? Ditch school and stay here with me."

Max breathes a quiet laugh and reaches up with both arms to encircle Chloe's head, pulling her slowly down to nuzzle the girl. "We don't have to go that far. There's only like ten or eleven weeks of school left, and then we can be together all the time. For now, you'll only have to wait six days to see me again. We'll meet in Portland on Saturday, I promise. I love you, Chloe."

Chloe grumbles a little as she gives Max a squeeze. "Why do you have to live in a different city? That sucks so hard." She lifts her head to gaze down into Max's eyes before she says the more important words. "And I love you, too, my little sex bunny. What did we go, four times?"

Max grins and squirms, then scrunches up her face from the discomfort of rubbing her thighs together. "Yeah, something like that. I'm sore now… Is it always gonna be that way?"

With a laugh Chloe disengages, rolling off the bed to stand and reach for the ceiling, elongating her beautiful body for Max to admire as she stretches. "Going four times usually leads to soreness, yes. But don't freak, we don't have to go crazy in bed every time we get together. Plus you'll have a full week to recover after each time with me and your body will get used to it over time, so soreness won't be a problem by the time we're living together. Unless you wanna get into some seriously hardcore shit." She finishes by waggling her brows and grinning.

"Ummmm, let's just see what happens." Max scoots out of bed as she tries not to fantasize about wild and crazy sexual adventures with Chloe, not wanting to get worked up since she'll be leaving in a few hours.

Chloe puts together an outfit for the day and just stands at the doorway, smiling at Max and waiting for her. It takes Max a bit to realize that Chloe is waiting for her to come along so they can shower together, so she picks out the punk-goth clothes she bought in Portland and follows Chloe to the bathroom. She's reluctant at first, warning Chloe again that she's sore, but the blue haired beauty is surprisingly well behaved and gentle in the shower. Her touch is delicate and soothing as she washes Max and allows Max to wash her, the totally naked experience proving to be far more about the heart and less about the body than Max had anticipated. The naughty giggling and groping she had imagined Rachel and Chloe doing every morning was all wrong, and she finds herself feeling as if she's floating on clouds as she's carefully washed by Chloe for the first time.

After bathing and dressing the teens find Joyce in the kitchen and prepare a Denny's style Grand Slam breakfast for all three, plates covered in pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage. They all sit down with their calorie bomb breakfasts and coffees to enjoy their final meal together.

"You look like a changed girl, Max." Joyce comments as she looks the teen over with a knowing smile, not just talking about the red hair streaks, black hoodie and tank top, but noticing something else. "Do you feel like a changed girl?"

Max blushes furiously as she feels Joyce must know she just lost her virginity. "Um… I guess so. I feel happier than I've felt in a very long time. Kind of bummed to be flying away today, but Chloe and I plan to drive to Portland on weekends to see each other."

Joyce raises her brows and looks to Chloe, who just grins and wolfs down her food with little etiquette. "Is that so? Yall can't get enough of each other?" A broad smile slowly grows on the woman's face as she looks at Max. "Did you play the Shania Twain song I recommended?"

If there's such a thing as a double blush it happens to Max, the girl staring down at her breakfast with wide eyes and trying to melt into her chair. "Oh man, are you cereal? You knew the whole time?"

Joyce laughs and sits up a bit taller. "Darlin', don't insult me. A mother knows these things. And I'm happy for you two. Been waitin' a long time for you to come back into Chloe's life, Max. Does this mean you're plannin' on movin' back to Arcadia Bay to date her?"

Chloe almost chokes on her bite of bacon and takes a sip of coffee to wash it down, the three having an awkward silence before she's brave enough to respond. "Actually, I promised to move to Seattle after I graduate…"

The news makes Joyce deflate a bit, her smile fading away. "Oh…" She considers it for a few moments and sighs. "Guess I should've figured as much. You've hated Arcadia Bay ever since your father died. I don't wanna see you move away but… how could I stand between my daughter and love?"

Max has an idea and tries chiming in. "Well, you can move up there, too, Joyce."

Joyce looks a little stunned, as if the thought never occurred to her before. "Hm. I suppose it's somethin' to think about. I'm sure by the time June comes a knockin' Chloe and I will have it all figured out. What about today, Max? Do you need a ride anywhere?"

"I'll take her!" Chloe volunteers much too loudly and with a mouthful of food. "I'm driving my awesome new girlfriend to the airport and that's final."

Max snickers and shakes her head. "Well, I guess it's settled, then. Thank you for having me, Joyce, even though I spent most of the week on a road trip. I'm so sorry for your loss… but it's been really nice seeing you again."

A sad smile forms on Joyce's face as she slowly nods. "It's been a rough week. But I guess your heart findin' its way back to Chloe's is the light at the end of the tunnel. You just take care of my little girl, you hear?"

"Yes ma'am." Max offers her best smile.

Chloe just sighs and rolls her eyes. "I'm not a little girl anymore, mom. I can take care of myself. But, you don't have to worry about Max. I put her through a lifetime of shit this week and she never stopped loving me. I'm in good hands."

The sentiment leaves them all smiling and feels like a good note to end the conversation on, the three enjoying the rest of breakfast without much talking. After helping with the dishes the teens head upstairs to brush their teeth, then search around for all of Max's belongings to pack her bag. Max remembers Rachel and calls her to let her know the excellent news, and she demands that Max and Chloe head to the dorm to say goodbye before driving to the airport. So, once all packed and ready to go Max gives Joyce a farewell hug, then hops in Chloe's truck to be taken to Blackwell.

For the first time Max enters the Academy, seeing the inside of the girl's dorm at least, and wonders what it would have been like to attend the arts school. Chloe leads the way, knowing exactly where Rachel's dorm is, and upon knocking Rachel comes flying out to give them both excited hugs.

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you! You two getting together at the end of this break is so clutch, like… I can't tell you how psyched I am about this!" She practically bounces in place as she ushers the new couple into her dorm for privacy. "Please, tell me everything. I wanna hear it all!"

The three girls sit on Rachel's bed, Max talking first as she tells about all the planning and thought she put into her romantic gesture and the beanie gift, making Rachel ooh and aah over how sweet and endearing Max tells it. But, when she gets to the bedroom part Max blushes and struggles, so Chloe takes it over from there, and she certainly spares no detail. Rachel doesn't seem to become jealous at all as she hears about their sexual exploits, and that brings a great deal of relief to Max, seeing that Rachel and Chloe are truly comfortable being just friends. After the storytelling Rachel has the idea to take pictures of Max and Chloe kissing on her bed, so Max lends her Polaroid for Rachel to take pictures with both their cameras. Rachel proves her talent for images and comes up with some fantastic shots that Max is glad to tuck into her satchel, pictures that will end up in the journal with the rest of her memories of this trip. A final set of hugs and goodbyes are spoken when it's time to set out, Max promising to stay in touch with Rachel and Rachel promising to keep Chloe out of trouble.

Once Chloe drives out of Arcadia Bay Max knows she only has an hour left with the girl before they arrive at Eugene Airport, so she scoots along the bench cushion and cuddles up to her girlfriend for the entire duration. Some of the drive is spent recalling events of the last nine days and talking about the journey they went on that led them to becoming a couple, while the rest is spent rocking out to punk music as Max nuzzles and kisses Chloe's neck. When Chloe finally pulls up to the front of the airport terminal there's a collective sigh, the girls knowing it's time to say goodbye.

"Well, this is it… at least for now." Chloe shuts the engine off after putting the vehicle in park, slowly twisting on the seat to snuggle with Max. "Thanks for coming, Max. Thanks for all the crazy shit you put yourself through to save me and Rachel."

Max leans in to plant a few delicate kisses on Chloe's lips. "I couldn't imagine a world without you. I had to come save you the moment I was told you were in danger."

Chloe laughs and eyes Max up and down. "You can get red hair streaks, wear a black hoodie with pink flowers in the shape of a skull on it, and a black tank underneath with another skull on it, but you're still the sappy dork you always were. Oh, Max… what am I gonna do with you?"

"You have six days to figure that out." Max smirks and slowly pulls away so she can hop out of the truck and move to the back.

Chloe exits the driver's door and meets her back there, pulling the girl's suitcase out and putting it on the curb for her. "I like that you chose that outfit to fly in. Your parents are gonna freak when they see you like this. We'll make a rebel out of you, yet! I've already got some epic plans for next Saturday kicking around in my head, so you better come ready to rock out!"

"I'll be ready." Max steps up to Chloe to wrap her up one last time, rising to her tippy toes to give her a passionate series of goodbye kisses. Her hands squeeze around Chloe's shoulders to hold them together as she lets the moment linger as long as she can. "I love you so much, Chloe."

Chloe offers a warm smile as she gently brushes the tip of her nose up and down Max's, happy to let the moment linger as the girls squeeze each other. "I love you, too, Max. You better call me when you land this time… I'll fucking hunt you down."

Max laughs and slips halfway out of the hug, her hands still staying on Chloe's shoulders. "Oh, will you now? Maybe I'll have to not call, then, see how long it takes you to find me in Seattle and… punish me." She drops her jaw and winks provocatively.

That makes Chloe laugh and put her hands on her own hips. "OK, not all sappy dork. We'll make a hell-raiser of you yet, as my mom would say." As soon as Max leans down to collect her suitcase Chloe swats the girl in the booty. "And that's for teasing me!"

Max grins over her shoulder as she slowly heads toward the automatic doors with her suitcase. "I'll talk to you in a couple hours, love. And see you in a week. Take care!" She waves with her free hand as she walks away.

"Safe travels, babe." Chloe watches Max disappear, then hops back into her pickup and sits there for a few more minutes, just in case Max forgot anything and comes rushing back out. But when Max doesn't return Chloe drives off, fighting away the dark thoughts of her childhood abandonment issues that try to convince her it's the last she'll ever see of Max.

After putting her camera and equipment in her suitcase so she can take her photography satchel on the plane without hassle, Max checks her suitcase and goes through security to sit in the waiting area. All that's in her satchel is her journal, colored pencils and all the photos from the trip, and she begins working on updating her journal as she waits for boarding to begin. It isn't long to wait, the girls pulling every minute out of the morning they could to remain together, so soon Max is on the plane and has a one hour flight to Seattle, spending most of the time writing in her journal.

The moment Max exits the plane she fulfills her promise, calling Chloe and reminding the blue haired beauty that she loves her. They talk on the phone a little as Max makes her way to baggage claim and then the pickup area, and when she spots her father's vehicle she has to end the call. Max has a laugh as she surprises Ryan, the man not recognizing his daughter until she's right next to the car. He has a lot of questions, and so does Vanessa when the two of them arrive home. Max is happy to spend the afternoon telling her parents every detail about the road trip between doing loads of laundry, and the couple couldn't be happier that Max is finally telling them she's in love.

The next morning almost feels surreal for Max, getting up and doing her regular morning routine before heading to school, as if Spring Break never happened. But it did, and all she has to do is text Chloe to be reminded of that. Kristen and Fernando have just as many questions about Spring Break, since Max canceled her plans with them at the last second to fly away, and the lovebird is more than happy to once again tell all about her dramatic adventure that led her to true love.

Max and Chloe stay in touch daily, and soon establish a single breach in Chloe's no emoji rule, Max allowed to send heart symbols but only when she texts 'I love you'. When the weekend comes they drive to Portland and meet as planned, spending Saturday afternoon together where, once again, Chloe totally rocks Max's world. It becomes a pattern over the next ten weeks, the girls only missing two weekends but seeing each other in the rest. Every time they meet the two of them further flesh out their future plans together, Chloe's abandonment and trust issues slowly eroding away under the constant stream of love and dedication coming from Max.

When school ends in June Max has a few long conversations with her parents, and over the phone with Chloe and Joyce. It takes some begging and pleading but Max succeeds in convincing her parents to allow Chloe to live with them in Seattle until other arrangements can be made, but Joyce decides she's going to stay down in Arcadia Bay. The idea of Joyce being alone down there makes Max feel guilty, so she dedicates some time to searching online dating sites and after some hours of searching finds a man in the next town over from Arcadia Bay. He's the right age, seems kind, and his wife died recently in a tragic accident. So, Max contacts him and tells him all about Joyce and the Two Whales Diner, hoping to play matchmaker and make up for what she took away from Joyce.

On Sunday, June 23rd the move finally happens and Chloe packs her pickup truck full of all her belongings. Max waits patiently in Seattle, giddy with excitement as she anticipates how wonderful the next few months will be living life with her one true love.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

When Chloe pulls into the driveway and steps out of her pickup truck to stretch her legs, Max comes flying out of her home and practically tackles her girlfriend into the lawn in the excitement of welcoming her to Seattle. Chloe's feeling a bit groggy from over six hours on the road, but she's just as happy to see Max, the teens all smiles. After a long series of kisses Max eagerly helps to start bringing boxes and bags of belongings into her parents' home and up to her bedroom. Midway through the haul the girls have to take a break, so they go visit Ryan and Vanessa in the living room.

"Hey mom, hey dad." Max smiles and offers a little wave as she sits on the armrest of the sofa to rest her legs but still have a good vantage point. "Thank you again for letting Chloe stay here with us. I'm so excited to show her around Seattle!"

Vanessa looks Chloe over and smiles. "Look at you, all grown up. Max has shown me plenty of pictures, but it's so nice to see you in person again. It sure brings back some memories."

Chloe shrugs casually as she smiles gratefully at the couple that opted to house her. She shed her black jacket after heating up from the exertion of hauling belongings up a flight of stairs several times, while the rest of her outfit is fairly conservative in an effort to make a good first impression. No beanie, just her now fading blue hair with purple and strawberry blonde roots, a blue and white plaid shirt that doesn't allow her bra to show and has long sleeves to cover her tattoo, and her most intact pair of blue jeans. She searches for words but Ryan beats her to the punch.

"Welcome to Seattle, Chloe. We're happy to have you as long as you plan to pull your weight and help out around the house. Just don't take this living situation for granted. By the time Max begins her senior year you'll need to either be working or living in a college dorm. So, don't forget to be responsible and think about your future from time to time while you two are enjoying your summer together. Oh, and of course, you're not allowed to break Max's heart, or you're out on your ass young lady!" He offers a coy smile through his scruffy beard to let everyone know he's exaggerating, but it's quite clear he means business about protecting his daughter.

Chloe goes rigid and offers a sloppy salute. "Aye aye, Admiral!" She pulls her phone from her pocket and starts thumbing through it. "I'll delete all my other girlfriends out of here right away."

Max rolls her eyes and smiles. "She's teasing! She doesn't have any other girlfriends. Chloe, just help take out the trash and do the dishes and stuff… and don't break anything."

"Jesus, I know how to be a guest. I wasn't raised by wolves." Chloe stuffs her phone away and has a look around the living room, seeing that Vanessa's idea won and the room has a sky blue theme. "Blue. That's the best color. Yeah, I can totally live here."

After a little chatting and resting the teens head back out to finish up, gathering the second half of Chloe's belongings and taking them upstairs, fitting what they can inside Max's room and lining the remaining boxes along the wall in the hallway outside. Then Max sits in her little twin bed and sighs in relief that the heavy lifting is done.

"I hope this bed will be big enough. I tried to talk my parents into getting a queen size for us to sleep in, but they said this room isn't big enough for a bed that size. So, we'll just have to snuggle up real close every night." She grins as she watches Chloe approach.

"We don't need a bigger bed, cuddle bug." Chloe spreads her knees and plops herself into Max's lap as she brushes her hands through the girl's hair. "What we need are soundproof walls." Her tone is immediately flirtatious as she leans down to deliver some loving kisses.

"Mmh, my parents avoided the topic of us having sex." Max responds between kisses as she rubs her hands along Chloe's lower back. "I'm sure they know it's going to happen, but they didn't want to talk about it, so that means they probably don't want to hear it either. We'll have to be careful to keep quiet, love."

"We'll just have to crank up the punk rock and use it as cover." Chloe twists about to sit next to Max on the little bed as she looks around the room for a sound system or a place to put her own, and her eyes land on a device on Max's homework desk. "What's that thing?"

Max follows her gaze and smiles. "I didn't get a queen size bed, but I was able to convince my parents to buy us a camcorder and a flexible little tripod thing so we can vlog anywhere and everywhere. I figured it would be a better way to keep track of everything instead of still pictures and journal entries."

"So, basically that was a huge lie and you want to record us having sex, right?" Chloe grins and nudges her girlfriend as Max nervously giggles at the notion. "It's a good idea, Cap. We'll make some epic vlogs and blow up on YouTube, but for now, let's try to unpack some of this shit."

It takes a week for Chloe to fully settle into her new life in Seattle. The girls spend a fair amount of time rearranging things in Max's bedroom and trying different ideas about where to put what until they're both satisfied. Some of Max's clothing and binders she doesn't use anymore have to be put into storage to make room for Chloe's things, but the lovebird is more than willing to make sacrifices and carve out a space in her life and fill it with Chloe. Chores are divvied up and noise rules established, and everyone succeeds in continuing to avoid the conversation between parents and teens about Max and Chloe having sex.

As planned, the couple vlogs every day to record their romantic summer adventures and express all their joyous feelings to the camera. With Max at the helm there's plenty to vlog about over the next month, as she takes Chloe to every popular site she can think of in the Seattle area. They visit Pike Place Market to browse all the little crafts shops and fresh seafood on display, enjoy watching the fish throwers shout and toss large fish to each other, and have coffee at the birthplace of Starbucks. Pioneer Square and the International District offer some amazing photo ops, delicious food and drinks, and plenty of art galleries and museums which take a few days to fully explore. The Seattle Waterfront is the same, half a week spent showing Chloe all the views and venues between Myrtle Edwards Park and Alki Beach, while the Lighthouse at the far point of Alki bringing the loving couple back to their beautiful moment in Arcadia Bay. The Great Wheel on the waterfront provides another romantic moment, the girls capturing video of them kissing with a view at the top of the Ferris wheel. With so many sites it goes on and on, day after day, Max taking Chloe to the Seattle Aquarium, the Space Needle and Science Center, the Museum of Pop Culture and of course Chihuly Garden and Glass. For Chloe, the month of sightseeing in Seattle with Max feels like being transported into another world, a much happier world where all the problems from Arcadia Bay are left in the past.

At home Chloe becomes part of the family, not just doing the chores she's been asked to do to earn her keep, but also building trust with Ryan and Vanessa. Since they knew each other years ago it doesn't take long for the relationship to rebuild, especially with how kind and laid back the adults are, exactly the type of attitude Chloe likes in 'old people'. She also takes her summer goal seriously, picking up a book about tattoos and piercings, watching videos about it online and browsing local tattoo and piercing parlors to see what she'll have to do to find employment there.

In mid July the two are interrupted, but not in a bad way. Rachel calls with news that she's moved to L.A. as she always wanted to, and has aggressively lobbied herself toward all the modeling agencies. She's received some positive attention and has accepted a big modeling deal which comes with some perks. So, she offers Max and Chloe a pre-paid trip to visit her in L.A. for her birthday, and the couple is more than happy to accept the invitation to visit her. So, they scramble to find worthwhile birthday presents in short order, pack a single suitcase with the gifts and an extra change of clothes for the two of them, then fly down to L.A. on the morning of the 22nd. Upon arriving at the address they were given the couple is shocked at how fancy and expensive the house on the hill seems, and with a million dollar view to boot.

Max just stares with an open mouth at the residence as they sit in their cab. "Uhhh… are you sure we got the address right?"

Chloe's already on it, pulling her phone out to call Rachel. "If this is a prank she better pay the cab fare." In a moment she speaks again toward the phone. "Yeah, hey Rach. We're at the hella expensive looking house you sent us to. Ha ha, jokes over, now where do we really go? Hello…? Did she just hang up on me?" Chloe looks down at her phone with an annoyed expression.

The gate guarding the driveway suddenly opens and Max nudges Chloe to look up when Rachel emerges from the fancy home, smiling and waving. She's wearing a little white summer dress with pink flower graphics all over it, a pair of pink flip flops, a straw hat to protect her from the sun, and of course her stunna shades. So, Max and Chloe pay the cab driver and hop out to greet her.

"What's up, Rach? Just be up front, girl. Did you kill or fuck the guy that owned this house? Cause I've had an epic summer so far with Max and I don't wanna step over any dead rich dudes in there." Chloe offers her own brand of humor as she approaches and hugs Rachel.

Rachel laughs and shakes her head. "I figured you'd think something like that. This ballin' place is an event home owned by the modeling agency that represents me now. And today is my birthday, which they're counting as an event because any excuse to party is good enough for these people. So, get ready to meet a ton of bombies and agents in there."

"Bombies?" Max echoes the word as she takes her turn hugging the girl. "Do I want to know?"

"Hot people, Max. Really hot people. Don't freak if there's random nudity. It's a party after all, and models are super chill about just… whippin' it all out." She gestures for the two to follow her as she leads them into the home.

Sure enough the couple runs into a large group of gorgeous men and women just inside the door, and Max immediately feels self-conscious about her looks. She tries to hide behind her confident skater punk girlfriend as they follow Rachel through the model home, passing an open bar and buffet manned by someone from a catering company. Important looking men in suits linger around that area, likely the agents Rachel mentioned, but the teens just head right through to the back yard where there's a fantastic view, a pool and a DJ setting up his gear for later. More gorgeous men and women swim in the pool, some of them not wearing any clothes, just as Rachel warned. She walks all the way to the left side of the pool to sit at a glass top table with an umbrella shading it.

"So, you're only 5'5. How'd you convince them to let you be a model? Aren't you too short?" Chloe doesn't put the question delicately as she takes a seat at the table, Max sitting down beside her girlfriend.

Rachel puts her shades on the table and rolls her eyes at Chloe. "It's like you don't even know me. When has a technicality like that ever stood in the way of my ambitions before? Besides, my parents know people. And with Photoshop and camera angles and all that, it's more about the overall bone structure than the real life height. A properly shaped 5'5 girl can make an excellent model."

Chloe just grins and playfully bops her leg into Rachel's under the table. "It's like you don't even know me. Obviously I was just fucking with you! I'm hella proud of you, though, Rach. I always knew you'd succeed. I just figured it would take longer than a month! Guess you didn't need to spend all that time studying international law in school, huh?"

Rachel raises her brows and an index finger. "Actually, that's part of what got me in. It's all very hush hush right now, but I pitched some really fresh ideas to some pretty important people. I've got big plans for the modeling industry. Just wait and see." She smiles and winks at the couple.

"Wow, that's so awesome. I really hope they listen to your ideas, Rachel. Also, we brought you some birthday presents." Max pulls out two wrapped boxes from her satchel to hand them to the girl. "I didn't see a stack of gifts inside, so I guess I'll just give them to you."

"Aw, how sweet." Rachel accepts the two little boxes and begins opening one. "I just met most of them, so it's not really a gift giving type of thing. Nobody would have known what to get me. But this party is gonna be poppin' once the music starts and drinks are served, so I'm pumped about that. Seeing you two, though, that's the best birthday present. Thanks for coming down to see me."

"We wouldn't miss it, Rach. Thanks for having us at this incredible house." Max smiles as she watches Rachel open the gift she gave her, a cute bracelet where all the links are little lemon wedges. "That should match your water."

"Oh… my God!" Rachel looks up and yells at the people in and around the pool. "Hey! Who here orders lemon wedges to put in their ice water?" Almost everyone puts their hand up. "See!?" Rachel points at the crowd frantically as Max and Chloe burst into laughter. "I'm normal! I told you I'm normal!" She calms down as she sits again, back to smiling as she puts the bracelet on and admires it on her wrist. "It's cute… I like it. Thanks Max."

"You're welcome. I just wanted to get you something that would make you smile." She leans back and looks at the second wrapped box, watching Rachel open it, and wondering why Chloe's been so quiet since the gifts came out. She doesn't know what Chloe put in that box yet.

When Rachel opens it and looks inside her smile slowly fades to melancholy as she reminisces, pulling out the pieces inside one by one. Chloe's blue beanie comes out first, then her necklace with the three bullets, the first music CD Rachel and Chloe ever made together with all the cute drawings on the front of it, and finally a bottle of sleeping pills from years ago.

"So… I know you're gonna get hella rich and famous, cause you're such a star." Chloe begins explaining before she's asked. "I just wanted to give you some important pieces of me from the time we spent together, so you'll never forget about me… Never forget that you saved my life, and kept me going until Max came back to me." She tries to remain level but tears escape her eyes anyway, quickly brushed away by her wrist.

Rachel immediately rises and pulls Chloe to her feet to give the blue haired girl a very tight hug. "I'll never forget you no matter what happens in my life, Chloe. And I love the gift. I'll keep our precious memories forever." She smiles when she feels Max join into the group hug. "I won't forget you either, Max. You saved me… after I saved Chloe. I guess Chloe will be saving you next, and then the circle of life will be complete!"

Max bursts into song, singing some of Elton John – Circle of Life to the amusement of everyone in the backyard, and soon the girls are sitting back at the table catching up on life. Rachel tells all about her move to L.A. and how hard she had to fight to get her foot in the door in the modeling business, and then goes into great detail about a charming young man she met a couple weeks ago, along with her hopes that he'll be all hers one day. Max and Chloe describe their Seattle adventures, and the way they bounce the story back and forth with such synergy is all the proof Rachel needs to know these girls were born for each other.

Soon the sun draws low in the sky and the DJ starts playing music, more people seeming to show up to the party and the back yard filling out as a result. The pool takes on more models that seem to become more naked as time passes, the music becomes very upbeat and the alcohol is served in abundance. The three teens enjoy celebrating Rachel's birthday in style at that Hollywood hilltop house, letting themselves be swept up by beautiful view, fun atmosphere and the joy of their reunion. They party the entire night away and continue milking it well into the next morning, the sun nearly up by the time they're finally ready to throw in the towel and summon a cab to ride to Rachel's little apartment in the lowlands.

The following morning comes far too soon, but Max and Chloe have a plane to catch, so they're forced to rise at the alarm. They give Rachel goodbye hugs and well wishes, then let her go back to sleep and wash up as quietly as possible so they can head out. Chloe shows how sweet she is on Max and loads up with caffeine to take care of her girlfriend, letting Max sleep on her lap in the cab, at the airport and during the flight so she can feel rested and refreshed upon arriving in Seattle.

Life is a dream for the couple during the rest of July and throughout August, the two of them developing a routine revolving around vlogging their fun and loving every minute with each other. Max serenades Chloe with her acoustic guitar most evenings, and though she's not the best singer Chloe comes to love the sound of her voice more than any other, even preferring to listen to Max over punk rock. Chloe talks Max into recording some sexual escapades, or "sexcapades" as she refers to them, and helps the once shy introvert to further come out of her shell with playful bedroom role-playing. With the weather at its warmest Max shows Chloe the natural beauty of western Washington, the girls sporting tiny shorts and tank tops to hike up popular trails like Rattlesnake Ledge, Mount Si and Tiger Mountain, vlogging at the summits to prove their shared accomplishments. Chloe wears her First Mate beanie every day, no matter what, and never forgets to remind Max how much she loves her.

In late August Chloe finds employment, a nice tattoo and piercing shop in Seattle taking her in as an apprentice to the artists. She handles receptionist, cashier and janitorial duties, not the most glamorous job, but also receives firsthand experience watching artists work, which will lead her down the path of becoming an artist herself one day. However, her pickup truck breaks down a week into the job, right before school will begin for Max. The repair would cost around $3,000, but Max doesn't want to see Chloe in that kind of debt, so they just sell the pickup truck for scrap. With her loving heart Max happily lends her girlfriend the hand-me-down vehicle she received from her parents, submitting herself to the bus system on September 3rd when senior year begins.

The teens don't have as much time together once school and work begin, but they always have evenings and still sleep in the same little twin bed all cuddled up. Since Chloe's working full time she isn't hassled into leaving by Max's kind parents, who let the teen use her earnings to start paying for her own cell phone bill so Joyce doesn't have to, and to buy her own food and cleaning supplies, allowing Chloe to find her feet as an adult one step at a time.

Chloe brings news to Max in mid September that Joyce is seeing someone, Chloe not sure how to feel about the news until Max reveals her part in it. The two teens are happily relieved that Joyce will no longer be alone in Arcadia Bay, and the heavy weight of guilt is finally lifted from Max's heart. Regardless of whether or not future Max wants to alter time further to save David, Joyce will have love.

Soon it's Saturday, September 21st, time to celebrate Max's 18th birthday. After sleeping in and taking their time getting ready in the morning, Chloe takes Max to a beauty salon to pamper her girlfriend with a massage, facial, manicure and pedicure. Then comes the surprise present as she drives to the tattoo and piercing parlor she works at.

"Alright, Max. Time for your first tattoo!" Chloe grins as she hops out of the car and beckons the shocked new eighteen year old to follow her.

"Ummmm, we didn't talk about this." Max reluctantly steps out of the car and grips her elbow nervously as she stares at the parlor.

"Duh, that's why they call it a surprise. At least come in and check out the design. I spent like the last two weeks making it, just for you." Chloe wraps her hand around Max's to escort her in.

Max swallows hard as Chloe pulls her into the shop, offering meek smiles toward the artists there. She waits at the front desk for Chloe to produce a white paper with a colorful design on it. As the paper is put on the counter in front of her Max sees the overall circular shape of the tattoo, a wreath of green leaves around a cute light brown doe head sticking out from the middle. There's a pink ribbon wrapped around the doe's neck like a collar, little red flowers decorate the bottom half of the green wreath, and little blue butterflies fly around the top half.

Chloe smiles brightly as she presents it. "It's us, Max. All the elements of my sleeve tattoo except the skull, wrapped around a doe. You have a lot of deer stuff, and you kind of act like a cute, quiet, harmless doe, so I chose that to represent you. So, this is me, wrapped around you… with love." She fidgets nervously as she watches Max appraise the art she poured so much time and emotion into. "Do you like it?"

Max becomes teary eyed and thrusts herself into Chloe to squeeze the girl. "It's beautiful. You're beautiful. But my parents will freak…"

"We'll put it on the back of your neck." Chloe quickly responds. "You always wear your hair down, so only those you want to see it will see it. You can tell them when you're ready to." She leans in to whisper so only Max can hear. "Please, Max, I want you to get this… not the future you. I want to look at this tattoo on her and remember our summer together… to remember you forever."

There's no arguing with that. Max is too busy trying not to cry over the idea of October 15th, spending a minute just squeezing Chloe and nodding her approval. When she's ready Max is taken to the chair to have her hair tied out of the way, and she receives her very first tattoo. All the intricate details and colors drawn onto the sensitive area at the back of her neck hurt a great deal, but for Chloe she endures it. Max leaves the parlor permanently marked, forever wearing Chloe's first beautiful tattoo design and in a way feeling like she'll live forever because of it.

The evening is spent with Max's parents, the four of them having dinner atop the Space Needle to enjoy slowly rotating and watching the city of Seattle below as they eat. After coming home Max receives presents from each, Vanessa giving her a few cute dresses in hopes that her daughter will stop wearing jeans every single day, and Ryan giving her a brand new Smartphone. Of course, after dinner, Chloe has one more surprise for her lover, a new kinky outfit and role-play in the bedroom.

But, it's almost impossible for Max to shake the sensation that time is riding upon her shoulders. The days just keep ticking by, and she finds herself not thinking what day of the week it is or number of the month, but how many days until Tuesday, October 15th. Until, at last, the fateful day arrives, and the poor teen has to suffer through a school day when all that's on her mind is 6:25pm.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

After Max returns home from school she has a few hours to snuggle with Chloe and go through all of their summer memories, quietly reminiscing and enjoying the bond that grew so powerfully between them over the last seven months. When their final hour grows near, Max asks Chloe to drive with her and takes her lover to a wonderful place in Seattle she had been saving for their last day. They drive to Kerry Park, positioned just northwest of downtown Seattle. It has the perfect position and elevation to allow visitors to look south and see all of downtown Seattle, Mount Rainer in the distance, and Elliot Bay on the right. With the sun lowering toward the horizon it casts a radiant orange glow upon the faces of all the high rises, the snow of Mount Rainer, and glints off the water to the west. Kerry Park is often said to be the best place in all of Washington State to watch the sunset, and on October 15th the sun sets at 6:21pm.

"Wow… it's so beautiful." Chloe steps in behind Max so the two can admire the view together, her hands slowly sliding around Max's stomach to cuddle with her.

"Do you think she planned this? The exact timing of it?" Max asks softly as she stands before the metal railing at the park ledge and leans back into Chloe.

"Probably." Chloe is in just as quiet a mood, the despondent nature of the moment pressing down on both of them. "It's the kind of poetic shit Max Caulfield comes up with." She squeezes her hands around Max's stomach and plants a few kisses on the back of the girl's head.

"Yeah, I guess. Sunset is the best time to… say goodbye forever." Max presses her lips together as her eyes well up, trying so hard to be strong in the face of her end, but she can't help but tremble.

"It's gonna be OK, Max. This isn't the end for you." Chloe repeats the message she's been trying to stamp into the scared teen's mind all week.

Max finally breaks down and twists around to sob into Chloe's chest. "We don't know that! What's gonna happen, I wake up in heaven? And then what happens when this body fails one day, there will be two of me in heaven? There can't be two! I'm about to be erased out of existence and replaced by another version of myself from another timeline! I did everything I was asked to do… I tried so hard… but I just die tonight anyway. It's so unfair!"

As Chloe rubs her hands through Max's hair and along her back to try and soothe her girlfriend she searches for an argument she can use to ease the weight off of Max's heart. "Come on, Max… we don't know that's how it works, either. I'm the one that's supposed to assume the worst, and you're the optimist. Don't switch places on me, now. I'm not good at this shit, babe. Just…" Her mind finally stumbles upon a good idea. "Just think of it like amnesia. You fall off something and land on your head, forget the last seven months, and I have to teach you all the stuff we did. That's all. You're still gonna be the exact same person, you'll just lose some memories. Not even all of them, only Spring Break and afterward. Everything will be fine, Max…"

 _This is so horrible. I have no idea what's going to happen to me, but I know it's not going to be fine. Just lose my memories? That's all we are… our minds, our memories. Take them out and replace them with someone else's and we're dead, replaced by some fucking clone… a different person wearing the same face. I know I'm about to die, but… I need to think of Chloe. She just has to stand there, powerless, and watch me blink out of existence. That must be so hard… of course she wants to convince herself that it doesn't work that way. I just have to pretend… be strong for my love._

The weeping brunette sniffles and swallows as she lifts her face to offer a sad smile up to Chloe. "Yeah… just amnesia. You're probably right about that. We'll just… go over those journals and vlogs and everything will be fine in the end." Max closes her eyes and leans up to seal the lie with a kiss.

As the girls hold each other tight and kiss before the setting sun the moment extends into forever and feels as deep as the ocean. Max can feel Chloe's love in every inch of her body as the delicate kiss she initiated turns into the most passionate they've ever shared. For a minute time stops and there's only bliss, only Max and Chloe kissing under a beautiful sunset, just like Arcadia Bay, just like how it all began. When the kiss finally breaks and eyes slowly open Chloe gazes down at Max and knows the truth of it. It wasn't an 'everything will be fine in the end' kiss, it was a 'goodbye forever' kiss. Chloe can't keep her sorrow at bay, beginning to cry as she stares down at that sad, loving expression in the face of the girl who showed her the meaning of true love.

"Max…" She chokes on her words, overwhelmed by her emotions. Her hands rise to gently cup around Max's cheeks, wiping away the girl's tears with the tips of her thumbs. "This summer with you… it's been the best time of my life. I'll never forget all the beautiful moments we shared… I'll never forget you! You will always be the Max I fell in love with… not any other version."

Max presses her face into those hands and closes her eyes for a second, just absorbing the cherished words and Chloe's loving touch. Her eyes slowly open again and she guides a hand up to place over her girlfriend's heart. "Thank you so much for saying that. Thank you for making all my dreams come true and spending these months with me. And thank you for loving me the way I love you. Please, keep me in here forever." She rubs and pats her hand over Chloe's heart.

Chloe nods and blinks out some tears, moving her hands as those tears roll down her cheeks. One hand cups over Max's to hold it over her heart, while the other lovingly pets through the girl's soft brown hair from forehead to the doe tattoo on her neck. "I promise you, Max, you'll live forever in my heart. All those vlogs aren't just gonna be for your other self to learn what happened… they're my memories of you. My way of keeping you with me, always."

As Max wraps her hand around Chloe's to hold over her heart, she offers a happier smile through the tears as the sentiment warms her to the core. "You're a lot nicer than you were when we first met. I've been a good influence on you."

Chloe shows happiness through her tears as well. "Yeah, and you're hella badass now. Red streaks in your hair, tattooed, sometimes you even do crazy shit like drive thirty in a twenty-five zone!"

Max lets out a soft laugh and shakes her head. "Jerk. I don't always drive the speed limit." She sucks in full breath and lets out a long sigh as her free hand rises to rub over Chloe's pirate beanie, her thumb and index finger capturing the red heart pin that says First Mate. "I'm going to miss you so much, Chloe. Looks like I'll have to sail away again, and this time I can't come back. But that won't change anything between us. No matter what happens, you'll always be my First Mate, right?"

Chloe nods and pulls Max into a tight embrace. "I'll always be your faithful First Mate, through all of time and space." She looks to the sky as she's holding Max and when she sees the orange ball of light has vanished she buries her face by nuzzling Max's ear, not wanting to see that they're out of time.

 _I guess it isn't all bad. Life isn't about how long you live, it's how well, right? And I've lived so well these last seven months. I'm so fortunate to have found my soul mate. I'm lucky I get to feel true love before I die. There are so many people in the world that grow old but never find that beautiful, perfect connection with someone. I wish I could have grown old with Chloe, and I guess technically most of me will. But, originally Chloe dies right in front of me before I work up the courage to apologize for not speaking to her for years. It took time powers to give me the chance to be with my one true love. I'll never understand why it happened, or where it came from, but I'll always consider myself fortunate to have at least had these last seven months. I'm OK with dying… because I'm happy with what I have._

Max slowly twists around in Chloe's embrace to face the view once again, seeing the sun gone and the land shadowed as the colorful sky slowly darkens as well. She feels Chloe's arms wrap tightly around her stomach again and moves her hands to cover them, happy to feel the warmth and love of the girl pressing so tightly into her back. "I love you so much, Chloe. Please live a happy life for me."

Chloe leans her face down to rub the tip of her nose on the back of Max's ear, giving her one last loving nuzzle. "I love you, too. Thank you for saving my life, Max. You're my hero." She pulls her head back so she can brush her face through Max's hair and plant a few tender kisses on the cute doe tattoo, the symbol of her eternal love for Max.

The weight of the moment is palpable, like the world is slowly closing in around the two of them as the light fades. Max swears she can see a swarm of locusts emerging from the shadows of the clouds, apparitions of time zooming straight for her to consume every last bit of her soul to make room for the other Max. Chloe can feel herself squeezing Max so firmly as if she can somehow prevent time from tearing her away if only she holds onto Max with enough love. But the moment strikes regardless, Max suddenly jerking and almost falling down if not for the girl holding her up.

"Auh! Wha…?" Max gazes around at the view, identifying she's at Kerry Park. Then she feels herself being squeezed and looks down. Blue fingernails, bracelets on the right wrist, three black and one white, and the tip of that tattoo sticking out from under the black jacket covering the arm. "Chloe!" She smiles happily and twists around to wrap the taller girl in a tight squeeze of her own.

Chloe doesn't say anything, she just tries not to break down and cry over her loss as she holds the same person, but feels like it's someone else.

Max pulls her head back to gaze up at Chloe and blinks in confusion. "Why are you so sad? Why do I feel all congested and puffy… have we been crying together?" She glances around for clues, but it's just the two of them. "Did my plan work? Is Rachel alive, too?"

Chloe slowly nods as she stares down into Max's eyes, wondering who lies behind them now.

The lack of responses fills Max with anxiety, a blend of frustration, fear and confusion swirling through her. "Chloe, please! The last time you spoke to me was at the lighthouse. We said goodbye… and then I had to listen to you die in that bathroom again. And your funeral… Chloe, I don't know what's happening in this timeline. But please, just talk to me."

Seeing how emotionally fragile and wounded Max is brings a flood of memories back to Chloe, reminding her so much of what she experienced with Max over Spring Break. "Right, uh… you called me, we set shit up, you flew down, left a note for David in the mailbox, then we picked up Rachel at her dorm and went on a road trip to Portland. Things got hella dramatic, but I broke up with Rachel and we're cool with each other now… she's living down in L.A. as a model, so she's fine. And you and I have been dating for the last seven months, so… pretty much everything turned out right."

Max is so elated to hear all the details, bouncing with joy as she still clings to Chloe. But, at the end she realizes the reservation in the blue haired girl and looks sideways at her. "Wait, what do you mean pretty much everything? What went wrong?"

Chloe bites her lower lip and fidgets, apprehensive about telling this new Max what she's done. "Uh… well… don't freak, it happened seven months ago for the rest of us. But, um… Mark Jefferson killed David before being arrested."

Immediately sad, Max pulls away slowly and clutches at her heart through her shirt. "No… Joyce. She lost a husband again, all because of me? I put her through that? No, that wasn't supposed to happen! I can fix this… Chloe, are there pictures? I need a picture from before he died."

"Jesus…" Chloe raises her right hand to cup over her mouth as she stares at Max, horrified at how quickly the girl jumps to the idea of erasing everything and starting again. "Who are you? I don't know you!" She slowly backs away as she shakes her head to try and push all the awful thoughts out.

Max holds her hands out to her sides, palms facing the sky as she watches Chloe with a perplexed expression. "What? I don't understand. What's wrong with saving David?"

Chloe huffs in exasperation and balls her fists, holding them over her forehead as she looks down to gather her thoughts for a moment. Then she thrusts her fists down to her sides and yells at Max. "You've only been here for one minute! And you wanna just erase me, and the Max I fell in love with… my Max! All my summer memories! And you're gonna fucking throw us away, just like that!?" She waves her hands dramatically and turns away as she tries to hide her pain. "I just finished saying goodbye to my one true love, and now you're gonna jump through time and replace her with another version… like she never existed. And you don't even care to think what will happen to me."

Max just stares with wide eyes and an open jaw, a ton of emotional bricks slamming into her all at once and leaving her breathless and stunned. She steps backward and grasps the metal railing behind her to stay on her feet.

 _Oh God… what have I done? What did I just threaten to do? Erase Chloe…? Replace her one true love with another version? This is so confusing… is that how time travel works? OK, think over it all. I tried going back five years to save Chloe's dad, and when I came back to the present time I didn't recognize myself. I had different friends, different clothes, a totally different life… so, what happened to the Max that lived that life? Shit… I've been so careless. I can't just delete this timeline and replace it with another one to try and save David, not without Chloe's permission._

"I'm sorry, Chloe. I didn't know. I never thought of it that way." She pushes off the railing and slowly approaches Chloe. "But, what if I still have time powers? What if I'm not done yet? Try to put yourself in my shoes… how do I know when it's time to stop? When will my gift run its course? My actions have hurt your mother so badly in this timeline. I'm trying to use my powers to save everyone. How do we know I'm not supposed to make one final change to save David, too?"

Chloe slowly turns around and takes a few breaths to calm herself down as she looks Max in the eyes. "David died a hero. Arcadia Bay is even raising the funds to build a statue to honor him. He joined the military to do exactly what he did in that town, save the weak from predators. In a way, you helped him to fulfill his greatest dream." She reaches out to hold Max's hands in her own. "And yeah, you hurt my mom seven months ago, but that was seven months ago. Do you wanna know what your younger self did? She went online and searched all over, and found a good match for my mom. She's seeing someone, Max. She's happy again. It's too late to take away the pain… it's already come and gone. All you'll be doing is putting everyone through more shit. Please don't go back, Max."

As Max stares into those desperate, pleading eyes she deflates a little and concedes, lowering her gaze to those hands holding her own. "OK… I guess you're right. It was way too hasty of me to just blurt out that I wanted to go back seven months and change something. I should do a lot more research about how things are now before I go changing anything else." Her eyes slowly rise back to Chloe's. "Do you want me to rewind a few minutes before I asked for a picture to go back, and avoid upsetting you?"

Chloe shakes her head rapidly. "No! Don't fuck with time anymore. I forgive you… Jesus. Don't erase the conversation just 'cause you upset me."

"Alright… but what if I still have my powers? Doesn't that mean… there's more I'm meant to do?" She pulls her right hand away from Chloe and slowly raises it up in front of her.

Chloe shakes her head and backs away, looking fearfully at that hand. "Don't do it, Max. Why…? What's wrong with me? What's wrong with our life together?"

 _Our life together… what a concept. The last time I had a life together with Chloe I was thirteen. But, this Chloe has known me for seven months. We're in Seattle, so does that mean she lives up here now? Did she move here just for me? Oh man… she just told me she said goodbye to her one true love. She's in love with me, and I barely even know her… and now, in her eyes, I'm a stranger that took away her lover. How awful. I can't change anything else. I have to give this world a chance. I owe it to Chloe to do that. And for all I know, this is the best it gets. How could I argue with knowing that Rachel is living her dream in L.A. and I get to live as Chloe's girlfriend here in Seattle? What more do I need?_

Max slowly lowers her hand and sighs as she gazes off at the twilight sky over Seattle, the last daylight starting to fade away.

"So… do you still have time powers?" Chloe reluctantly asks the question.

A small smile forms on her lips as Max looks up at Chloe, then moves close to the girl and reaches up to cup her pale cheeks. "I didn't try. I don't want to change anything anymore. Chloe… everything I need to live happily ever after is right here." She rises to her tippy toes and closes her eyes as she leans in to offer Chloe a loving kiss, exactly the same way her younger self did seven months ago.

Chloe's hands slide around Max's lower back to hold her close, squeezing breasts and stomachs together as a wave of warm joy rushes through her entire body. Feeling those lips pluck the same way they always had gives her hope that her one true love isn't gone forever at all, that perhaps her notion of amnesia wasn't just a fantasy. After the kiss she smiles down at Max. "You're still such a sappy dork. So, you wanna live happily ever after with me, huh? Does that mean you love me?"

Max beams brightly that her kiss was well received and nods at the question. "Yes, I love you. I wrote it in my letter. Didn't younger me show you?"

"Oh, right, she did. You wrote something like… I'll do anything for you. Well, I've got some wild ideas about how to test if that's true or not!" Chloe grins mischievously.

"What, traveling through time and turning the world upside down to save you and Rachel wasn't proof enough? Man… tough crowd. Go easy on me, OK? This world is new to me." Her eyes rise to the black beanie and little First Mate pin, and she adopts such an endearing face. "Awwww, that's so cute! Did I buy that for you? Are you my First Mate for life?"

Chloe laughs and nods. "Yeah, you gave me this at the end of Spring Break. You made this whole epic plan on how to win my heart… it was so dorky, but so cute. I had to say yes. We've been exclusive ever since."

"That's awesome!" Max practically vibrates with joy as she leans up to steal another series of kisses from Chloe. "Are there journals, pictures and videos for me to catch up with?"

Chloe smiles. "Yeah, back in your room. Come on, it's getting cold out here, anyway."

As they turn Chloe interlaces her fingers with Max's, holding hands with the adorable young lady that's still her girlfriend even without all the memories. Chloe leads Max to their car and opens the passenger door for her, then begins updating Max on what her current life is like as they drive home. Max listens as best she can, but mostly she's just so glad to hear Chloe's voice again.

The teens arrive home in time to have dinner with Ryan and Vanessa, who notice that Max is behaving a little strangely but don't prod her too much about it. By dinner's end Max realizes she's missed some social queues and inside jokes that she was meant to understand, realizing she's something of an outsider in her own home. But, she remains optimistic that it's only temporary, and after the meal heads up to her bedroom with Chloe.

Every remaining hour of the day is spent going over journals and pictures from the road trip alone, Max having so many questions about that very dramatic first week. Chloe is patient with her and answers all of Max's questions, and as the hours pass the two grow closer and closer with every experience entering Max's mind anew. By midnight they're down to bras and panties, snuggling under the bed sheets as they read over what Max wrote about Saturday and Sunday at the end of the break. Max feels everything for the first time and doesn't hold her tears back when reading about David's funeral, but the way she wrote about her romantic gesture for Chloe at the lighthouse removes the sorrow from her tears and replaces it with joy. After finishing the journal Max is comfortable with her relationship with Chloe, but still feels new to being with her physically, so the bras and panties stay on and the girls just cuddle each other to sleep.

When Max's alarm clock goes off to wake them up on Wednesday morning Max has a bit of an anxiety attack, not feeling ready to immerse into her Seattle school life yet. So, she decides to skip the day, which works well enough for Chloe since her two days off work are Tuesday and Wednesday with her current work schedule, anticipating that Max would need her on both days this week. So, after eating breakfast and cleaning up the two of them start pouring through all of those vlogs. Hours pass as Chloe happily tells the wild and wonderful tales of their summer adventures together, loving the way Max reacts to hearing about what she's accomplished.

"This is so awesome, Chloe." Max leans her left shoulder and head on Chloe as the girls sit side by side watching their summer videos on a laptop, hands held and fingers interlaced. "I always wished we could have a beautiful relationship like this… ever since I was thirteen. It was just a dumb girl's fantasy until I received time powers. Do you think we'll ever figure out why I got them?"

Chloe turns her face to plant a few kisses on Max's forehead and temple. "I don't care if we ever figure it out. It brought me you, and gave me a second chance at life. But honestly, I don't think I deserve all this… like this whole time travel thing isn't even about me. I'm just a lucky bitch who was in the right place at the right time… but that's just a nagging thought deep down. I don't have any complaints about Max the Time Bandit stealing me from death and wanting to live happily ever after with me. Even if I do have to teach you all the stuff over the last seven months, it's a hella small price to pay for a happily ever after story. Right?" She waits for a few seconds, then looks to the silent girl sitting beside her to see her blank expression. "Right…? Max?"

Max blinks very slowly and pulls her hand from Chloe's to raise both hands up and grip her head. "Something's wrong…" She scrunches up her face in discomfort and exhales a little groan of pain. But, only moments later she squeezes her eyes shut tightly and screams in agony as blood starts pouring from both nostrils. "Auuughhh!"

"Max! Shitballs! Hold on!" Chloe rushes into the bathroom to fetch a towel as she hears Max cry out in pain again behind her. When she emerges from the bathroom with towel in hand she watches in horror as her little girlfriend collapses forward and face plants all over the carpet.

"No!" Chloe rushes to kneel by Max and flips her over, tugging on the back of the girl's head to lift it up and prop it into her own lap. She dabs that towel at Max's face but it just smears the blood all over, unable to prevent it from coming out of the nose without smothering the girl with that towel. When she realizes Max is totally unconscious she starts panting and crying in her panic.

"What the fuck just happened!? Max, come on! Don't do this to me… please! You can't just fucking fall over and die, not after all we've been through!" She tries shaking Max, tapping a hand on her cheek, pulling her eyelid open with her thumb, and finally just leans down to squeeze the girl in a tight hug, smearing herself with all that blood coming from her nose. "God, no! Don't take her from me! Please! I'll do anything…"

Chloe sobs as she rocks in place and cradles Max for a few moments, then feels a powerful surge of strength rush into her limbs and a conviction to act more compelling than any she's ever felt before. With a roar of determination she scoops Max up and rises, carrying the girl all the way through the house and out to the car to place her in the passenger seat and buckle her up so she stays upright. Then she leaps into the driver's seat to break every law on the street getting Max to the hospital as fast as humanly possible.

Tires screech as Chloe slams on the breaks and twists the wheel of the car, coming to a stop right at the emergency room loading doors and honking the car horn frantically. She sees a nurse running to the doors and unlocks the car so she can run to the other side, hysterically yelling what happened to the nurse. Max is pulled from the car and put into a wheelchair, then hastily rolled through a pair of double doors that the hospital staff won't allow Chloe to pass through. One of the nurses almost receives a black eye from blockading the distraught teen, but with quick thinking distracts Chloe with questions about Max's blood type, age, drug and alcohol history and allergy information, the questioning slowly letting the logical part of Chloe's mind surface after the surge of emotion.

Nearly an hour passes as Chloe is forced to stay in that waiting room, Ryan and Vanessa having arrived during that time and feeling terribly concerned about Max's condition given the lack of information coming from the hospital staff. Finally, a doctor comes out to explain what had happened in professional medical lingo as well as layman's terms, and telling them that Max is stable and resting. He also tells the three that Max lost a good deal of blood and was sedated for emergency surgery, so she'll be asleep for a few more hours.

Once Max is in her recovery room Chloe, Ryan and Vanessa are able to sit with her and keep her company as she sleeps. After some time the emotions and fear of losing Max slowly fades, the three of them calming down and deciding on being more practical about their day. After a short discussion Chloe wins the argument on who should stay, promising to call Ryan and Vanessa as soon as Max wakes up. So, Max's parents go back to their lives and their jobs, while Chloe spends her day at the hospital waiting patiently for the girl to wake up. Hours pass before the teen's eyes slowly flutter open.

"Max?" Chloe scoots her chair to the bed Max is resting on, leaning toward her girlfriend and watching closely. "Max, can you hear me?"

"Mnnnhhh." Max hums a quiet moan as she opens her eyes to search the blurry room for the blue puff of hair, knowing who it belongs to. "Chloe." She whispers.

"Yes, Max! I'm here." Chloe reaches out with both hands, one holding Max's on the bed and the other petting the little brunette's hair. "You scared the shit out of me! We're in the hospital. You had surgery, but the doctors say you're going to be alright."

Chloe's face slowly comes into focus and Max gives her a confused look, her fingers squeezing gently into her girlfriend's hand. "What happened?"

"Well… your blood pressure spiked in your brain hella hard, and a bunch of blood vessels exploded into your sinuses to relieve the pressure and prevent you from dying of a stroke… then you fell on your face and you would've drown in your blood, but I picked you up and put you in your car so being upright kept your breathing passage open… then you were gonna bleed to death but I ran a bunch of fucking red lights and shit getting you here in time to prevent that from happening. So, basically I just saved your ass. You're welcome… also, I love you." Chloe smiles happily at her accomplishment.

"Oh, is that all? Hah…" Max smiles weakly up and takes a few breaths. "I love you, too, Chloe. But, what time…?" She looks so perplexed as she starts gazing around the room.

"It's almost 2pm, somewhere around there. You've been out a while, Max. But, don't worry about that. You don't have to do anything today. Just regain your strength, OK?"

"Today… what's today?" Max looks back to Chloe, still seeming so confused.

Chloe adopts a very concerned expression. "Wednesday… October 16th. Max, do I need to get a nurse? Is your brain all fucked up? Do you remember what we were doing this morning?"

"Remember…" Max echoes the word, then looks at Chloe with such a soft, loving expression and the cutest of smiles. "No matter what happens, you'll always be my First Mate, right?"

Chloe pulls her face back and blinks rapidly as she stares down at Max, looking as confused as her girlfriend did a minute ago. "Of course, Max… but are you sure you're OK?"

Max shakes her head. "That wasn't right. Say what you said before… in the park."

As she realizes what Max means Chloe's eyes go wide and she wells up with emotion. She takes a few breaths and gathers the memory of how she responded before, then licks her lips as she pushes her nerves down and repeats it. "I'll always be your faithful First Mate, through all of time and space."

Max closes her eyes and smiles brightly, giving the slightest of nods. "Yes. That was it."

Chloe shakes her head as she can't believe it. "Max? My Max? Is it really you? Have you come back to me?"

When Max opens her eyes they're glistening with moisture, tears of joy forming as she smiles up at Chloe. "I remember everything. It's me, Chloe."

"Oh my God, Max!" Chloe leaps out of her chair to throw herself upon Max and wrap her up tightly, then buries her face into her girlfriend's neck as she begins sobbing in joy.

With great effort Max wills her weakened arms up and around Chloe to hold her, tears streaming down the corners of her eyes and over her temples as she smiles up at the ceiling. "It's all of us. Every Max has merged into one. I think…" She raises the fingers of her right hand and tries so hard to hold time, but nothing happens. Her fingers lower to rest on Chloe's back again and she smiles so happily. "It's over, Chloe. I can't rewind time anymore. I did what I was meant to do."

Chloe lifts her pink, puffy face smeared with tears and smiles down at Max. "That's awesome, Max. I'm so glad it's over… and that you're back! Oh, you came back to me. I've never felt so happy in my life. I'm a fucking mess!" She laughs and cries at the same time.

Max just smiles up through her tears and slowly rubs her hands up and down Chloe's back. "The time travel part of our journey is finished, but we still have so many adventures ahead of us. Our real journey together is not over yet… we're just getting started. We'll sail the high seas and see every land, find every treasure, and stay together forever, First Mate Price."

"Aye aye, Captain Calico Max. I'm yours forever." Chloe leans down to seal the promise with a kiss, all her love pressing down from one pair of soft pink lips to another.

 _Wowser. What a trip. I remember everything. I guess nine days is all I had to change my world. I'm glad I was able to do it in time… I can't imagine living that original timeline. A version of me none of the others knew about… the Max that never had time powers. I watched Chloe die, emerged from my hiding place and shouted no, but nothing happened. Nathan shot me in the arm, and if David didn't burst in to stop him I would have been killed. That version of me… I've never felt so awful about anything. Seeing Chloe die, knowing what those monsters did to Rachel, and Kate, and so many other girls… I'm so grateful I was given the power to stop all of that. And now I get to spend the rest of my life with Chloe as a reward. I don't know if Chloe and I will ever figure out why all this happened, but there's no doubt in my mind that it just had to happen. Someone, or something, somewhere decided that it had to happen, and that's good enough for me. I've done my part, and I'm content with how things turned out. I don't know what waits for me outside this hospital, what bumps in the road or snakes in the grass will strike at me, but I'm ready for them. With my First Mate Chloe by my side I'll be able to handle all of life's problems. She gives me courage, and strength, and so much drive to just break out of my shell and go experience life! We have so many more adventures to enjoy, so many more memories to make, and so many more lives to touch. I've never felt so ready to go out in the world and live life to its fullest. I've never felt so complete as I do now, knowing all that I know, and having Chloe's love. Thank you life… thank you world… thank you time. I won't waste what was given to me. Chloe and I are going to live the best life we can, and we'll always be good to each other, forever grateful for the life we were given._

 **Author's Note:** The End! I hope you loved Max, Chloe and Rachel the way I wrote them, because I certainly put in a lot of effort to make them authentic and lovable. I hope you felt a great deal of emotion during my version of Life Is Strange 2: Not Over Yet, and especially felt good about the surprise happy twist at the very end. I'll probably write an epilogue soon, but for those who have been waiting until the end of the story to review or comment, this is the chapter to do it on.

 **Special Thanks:**

To Dontnod Entertainment for creating Life Is Strange with so much care for its beauty, ambience and immersion, to Christian Divine and Jean-Luc Cano for writing its story, and to Square Enix for publishing and distributing the work.

To Ashly Burch and Hannah Telle for voicing Chloe and Max, and to all the carefully selected music composers and songs, all of whom contributed to the incredible emotional immersion of the game with their amazing performances.

To Lyta Halifax here on the fanfiction site, for going over the multiple stages of the outline for this story with me and giving me so much feedback, and for all the others on the site for supporting my work with reviews, follows and favorites.

To dedicated YouTube fans of Life Is Strange who create uplifting and inspiring videos in support of the game and its story, like Dash and Mee Luffy from the Priceless Cosplay channel who make such a cute couple as Chloe and Max, and like the channels CamBen and Sbel for creating animations using the Unreal 4 engine.

To all you silent readers out there that are too shy to say how much enjoyed the story!

You're all greatly appreciated.


	22. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

 **Author's Note:** This may seem at first like it's posted in the wrong place, but this is the correct epilogue for my Life Is Strange story, Not Over Yet. Read on and you'll see in the end!

Brigadier General Jonathan Edwards, September 25th, 2030:

Regardless of whether QUEST works or fails this will be my final entry. There really isn't a point to type it out and put it in the system, but a soldier's habits die hard. Either this works and we'll save ourselves, or this fails and we're all dead. It's funny how in seeing the end of something draw near, your mind always goes back to the beginning to think it through one more time. I guess that's the point. I need to go over it all one last time.

Back in January of 2030 was when those ten foot tall humanoids suddenly started popping up in Siberia of all places. Scientists called them aliens from another world, religions called them demons sent to punish us for our wicked ways, others had their own ideas. When they were seen digging in to entrench themselves it was falsely reported that they were digging for gold, and being that they were on Russian soil people took to calling them the Anunnaki; the late Russian author Zecharia Sitchin's creative interpretation of ancient Sumerian religion's ideas of the sky gods, the Anunnaki. It really doesn't matter what they are or where they're from, I just call them the enemy; invaders that came here to take what's ours.

Our first efforts to contact them were met with hostility. Once we realized any humans that approached them were killed we knew we had a war on our hands. So, we've fought them for the last nine months, threw everything we had at them. The problem is it didn't work. Their technology is just too advanced for us to deal with. They have some kind of magnetic shielding that makes our bullets and missiles curve away and miss their targets, and laser weapons that overheat and melt all our planes and tanks. We may as well have been attacking them with spears and arrows. Nothing worked, and we just kept losing country after country as they advanced southward and westward to command all of Asia. Europe and Africa were next, and finally the Americas.

Now I'm in Hawaii, the last bastion of the human race. There may be survivors on other islands out there, or in caves, but they'll be found and killed eventually. I was just a Captain when this conflict began, the title Brigadier General hardly seeming earned or fitting for me to wear. It doesn't matter anyway; people have stopped looking to higher command for a military solution. We're totally encircled, our last naval ships barely having any oil left to run on, and no munitions that even work on the enemy anyway. They'll overrun the islands by tomorrow's end and kill us all.

But, we have QUEST, our one final hope. Before the mainland fell the best scientists in the world got together in California and worked out the impossible. The science nerds named it the Quantum Ultra Engine to Surrogate Time, but it sounds to me like they just really wanted to name it QUEST. How it works is impossible for me to explain, but I know what it does. Put a person in the machine and the supercomputer reads trillions of outcomes based on its function, that being to give the person the ability to manipulate time for approximately nine days. They tried to explain to me why it was nine days with a whiteboard full of calculus but I had to make them stop and move on. At any point in the subject's life they could have nine days of the ability to rewind time, up to a few minutes to redo mistakes, or even jump into past photographs to redo previous events.

We thought when we tested and proved it worked that the machine was a godsend. But we could only grant someone time powers at any point in their past; we couldn't give anyone instructions or information, no knowledge of what happens to the human race in 2030. We tried generals, politicians, doctors, scientists, all of our best people and minds. All our subjects gave trillions of negative results, that no matter when in their lives they received their nine days of powers it wouldn't result in saving the human race.

All our hopes had been raised for nothing and the invaders, the Anunnaki if I must call them that, started tearing through America. So, they packed up the machine, promoted me and sent us across the ocean to Hawaii. Everyone who had already been tested by QUEST stayed behind except for my unit that was tasked to keep the device safe at all costs. We were lucky we made it to Hawaii. Other convoys were hit and suffered more than 90% loss rates. But, we arrived and set up QUEST in the most secure military bunker in Hawaii and started trucking every citizen on the islands down there to get them tested. Everyone gave negative results. It was the most disheartening mission I've ever had.

As the days passed and everyone failed to produce positive results our team began to realize the futility of it all and accepted our doom, though like rats in a maze we continued to search for the cheese as if on autopilot. When the west coast of the USA fell and we knew we were all that was left it was a terrible feeling, like the world was counting on us to save them and we failed. A few ships arrived from California with survivors that all tested negative, and one small ship came from Seattle, Washington. Of the millions of people there only about a hundred made it to us alive, and since a soldier's habits die hard we had them tested. We couldn't believe it when we had a positive result, so we ran the test four times, positive every time. Of all the people on Earth, our salvation lies within some unassuming little 35 year old photographer named Maxine Caulfield.

When Maxine, or Max as she prefers, was barely eighteen years old she witnessed her childhood best friend Chloe Price gunned down by a mental case named Nathan Prescott, who then turned and shot her in the arm. I've seen the scar on her arm, but when talking about the event, even though it was from so long ago, I saw the scar in her eyes as well. Something about that event changed her, took something out of her that she needed, and it had nothing to do with the bullet that passed through her arm. I may be a soldier but I have a deep understanding of love, and Max loved Chloe like no other. The tragedy is that she procrastinated too much and missed her chance to tell Chloe how she felt. Because of that, Max never married, never had children, and never really had much of a life. She just stayed behind the viewfinder of her camera and lived vicariously through her photographs.

Giving Max her power right before that event is what QUEST says will save the world, but the chain reaction is a lot to wrap your head around. This is what the machine said: Max will spend the first five days of her time desperately trying to save Chloe, then give in and accept her fate. She'll attend Chloe's funeral on day six and mourn throughout days seven and eight, and only on her final day will she set into motion the chain reaction that saves us all. She decides on that final day that she'll travel through a seven month old photo to leave her younger self a message on how to save Chloe Price, but also to save another girl by the name of Rachel Amber.

Rachel Amber was sadly the victim of the same mental case who murdered Chloe, her death officially marked as April 23rd, 2013. But, Max will change all that by saving the life of a girl she never knew just to be able to have Chloe back. When Rachel is saved she moves to L.A. to pursue a modeling career and much more. Max tells her what her fate would have been, and the knowledge that she was meant to die in April as the victim of an awful crime fills Rachel with such a deep and profound drive to prevent such things from happening to other young people. That drive pairs with her incredible ambition and her knowledge of international law, and she changes the world.

In July of 2015 for Rachel's 21st birthday she convinces her modeling agency to launch a new program that they call CLAIM, Children Liberated from Abjection, Injustice and Misfortune. With Rachel already having succeeded as a beautiful and popular model being the face of the program it draws the attention of the vain and wealthy all over America. The sales pitch is to claim a child and raise him or her to be a model citizen, and with a model like Rachel pitching it the idea soars. The sales pitch works so well on the narcissistic, drawing people into competing with one another to see who can raise the best model citizen. All the people out there buying yachts and sports cars, mansions and beauty queen wives to show their superiority through their wallets are fooled. Their flaws are turned into virtues as the new big thing is to adopt and raise a child as best as can be, tricking all the self-absorbed jerks into becoming amazing parents and adopting children in need from all around the world. After a few years it trickles down the vine to all of the middle class as well. The program becomes so successful that it leads to over a million youths a year being saved from poverty, abuse and neglect.

In March of 2018 a wealthy family adopts a Syrian boy named Zain Nassir. His parents were killed by our military industrial complex and its endless war on "terror", 2018 being a particularly bad year to live in Syria. Zain was only 10 years old then, but he'll be 22 by the time the Anunnaki show up. Unfortunately nobody cared in my reality and he died somewhere in Syria, but with Rachel still alive he'll be able to grow to adulthood with a proper education. Apparently he's going to be some kind of magnetic genius, and he'll come up with a solution to the shielding the invaders use only a month into the conflict. With our munitions being able to actually hit them we turn a seven billion person loss into a ten million person loss, our numbers and firepower far outweighing theirs with their magnetic shielding no longer working against us. With Zain's technology we'll win the war by June.

It's funny, when QUEST spit out the data one of the technicians started weeping and fell to the floor to begin praying in Arabic. It seems Zain Nassir translates to "beautiful savior" or "graceful victory" depending on context. I prefer the graceful victory context as a soldier, but either is fitting. These kinds of coincidences are what make you step back and think about what's really going on here, what's really true and not true. I don't make any claims to know more than a person could know, but it definitely feels like the hand of God reaching down and saving us from certain doom. Saving the human race at least, but not us here and now in Hawaii; we're going to erase this timeline and make a better one.

I asked the technicians what the machine said about the rest of us, but it doesn't work that way. We could only look at the time between October of 2013 and September of 2030 in the one timeline that had a positive result, and only from Max's perspective. She never meets me, which is a shame since I actually grew up in the Seattle area until I was stationed in California in 2024. To think, in this new timeline I'll live nearby Max and Chloe from 2013 to 2024, and then live nearby Rachel from 2024 to 2030, but never meet any of them. Oh well. At least I was able to meet the Max of this timeline and give her the chance to save us all, and also to end her loneliness in this world at last.

It's actually a very sweet story. After saving Rachel and Chloe and losing her power, when all her memory syncs back up into one mind, Max stays with Chloe from then until now. After Max graduates from high school the two girls move into an apartment to be independent, Max working as a photographer and Chloe as a tattoo and piercing artist. It takes some time for their careers to take off, but soon they start making money and saving up for a house one day. In early March of 2016 they fly down to Arcadia Bay to spend Chloe's birthday with her mother Joyce and her third husband. It's there that Chloe takes Max to the lighthouse during sunset and declares her undying love for the girl, proposing marriage, and Max says yes.

Max's friendship with a wealthy, famous model pays off as Rachel sends her a lot of juicy photography gigs. Chloe's talent for art leads to growing recognition and her revenue stream increases as well, and by 2019 the married couple moves into a house together. Max returns the favor to Rachel for the photography gigs by adopting a couple of little girls through the CLAIM program. For the next eleven years Max and Chloe get to live their own version of happily ever after, doing jobs they enjoy, having each other, and raising a couple girls to be model citizens.

I didn't look too deeply into the rest of the data because it felt like an invasion of privacy, and it was making me jealous, but those girls all seemed so happy, Rachel included. From what Max knows about her it looks like Rachel's dreams came true as well, and who deserves it more? It's a shame we can't leave any kind of message behind. We're about to send Max through time to save the world and nobody will ever know about it. Everyone will celebrate Zain Nassir for his invention, and maybe it will come to light that it was Rachel Amber's program that led to his life being saved, but nobody will recognize the true savior of humanity. That should be fine, though. Max seems pretty shy, and she'll probably be happier keeping her part in saving the world private for only her, Chloe and Rachel to know about. All she ever wanted was Chloe anyway, and I'm glad I was able to give her that much at least. I guess what they say is true, that love really is the most powerful force in the universe. All of humanity will be saved because Max Caulfield loves Chloe Price so deeply she's willing to bend all of space and time just to find a way to be with her. Bless your beautiful heart, Max, and may you live happily ever after with the woman you love. You've earned it.

 **Author's Note:** I didn't want to write a run-of-the-mill epilogue that blandly tells you the future of this character and that character, and I wanted to answer the last two unanswered questions: Why was saving Rachel so important, and why did Max have time powers in the first place? So, I hope you enjoyed the end result! And now my story is finally complete. Thank you for reading. Blessings and good health upon all of you.


End file.
